Father to Her Child
by whotookmycheese
Summary: "Hi! Is it okay if Rory stays a bit later? A work emergency. Maids starting a riot, cooks throwing kettles, horses galloping through the hallways. You know, the basic stuff." Series of one-shots about Luke's and Rory's growing relationship to kind of a father and daughter. Not forgetting Lorelai.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This idea came to me a long time ago. So I thought to share it with you. I hope you like it, I did like to write it. If you did, please tell me (and even if you didn't), so I know if you want me to continue or not.

I'm sorry for my bad grammar, English isn't my first language and I hate looking for a Beta. But if you like this, I promise I start the heavy job of finding one.

 **Disclamier:** I wish but no, Gilmore Gilrs are not mine.

 **Coffee, Hot Chocolate and Marshmallows (Or the Lack of Them)**

"I brought Rory!"

Luke wasn't sure if he should be worried or not that he recognized the voice even if he had heard it only once. He closed his eyes for a moment and felt thankful for the fact that it was the time just before the closing in the diner, so there were no customers. Then he found enough patient to look up. The woman was indeed the same who had irritated him so much just the day before by following him around and begging for coffee. The girl next to her was about eleven-years-old, had brown hair, blue eyes and a shy smile. Without saying a word Luke took a cup, poured coffee into it and handed it to the woman. She took it with a huge grin.

"He's a fast learner", she said gleefully and turned to the girl. "This is Rory", she said. "Actually, she's Lorelai. It was either that or Susanna, but, you know, they give you drugs when you give birth. But since it would be complicated if we'd both be called Lorelai, like if someone on the street would shout 'Hey, Lorelai!' and we wouldn't know which one they mean, we just call her Rory", the woman paused to catch some air. "Say hi to Luke, Rory."

"Hi, Luke", Rory said.

"Hi", Luke answered after a small pause. It all made so much more sense now. Miss Patty asking him if he'd met Lorelai already. Babette hinting that some single mom had bought the old Westerson's house and could need some help in there. Taylor asking for old pots and pans for charity. This was the woman who's name had been at everybody's lips for the past two weeks.

"What can I get you?" he asked Rory.

"Can I have a cup of half coffee and half hot chocolate?"

"What?"

"It's like chocolate coffee", Lorelai said taking a sip from her cup.

"Yeah, I get that. But aren't you a little young to drink coffee?"

"I drank coffee without chocolate when I was at her age", Lorelai answered for her daughter. Luke, who somehow wasn't even a bit surprised, didn't look at her.

"I'm heading towards plain coffee", Rory added. "But for now I prefer half coffee, half hot chocolate."

Luke made the order and handed the cup to the girl. Lorelai peaked into the cup like to see if he had made the right drink.

"No marshmallows?" she asked. "Rory's so miserable! Do your miserable-face", she said to Rory, who pushed out her lower lip and looked at Luke like Bambi. "Look how miserable she is!"

"Oh, jeez", Luke muttered, went to the store and came back with a small bag which he threw to Lorelai. It hit her on the face and dropped to the counter. She picked it up looking more curious of the bag than offended by the fact that Luke had just thrown her with an unknown item.

"Ooh, gummyworms!" Rory said eagerly. "Do you think they'd go with hot chocolate?"

"I don't know, honey, why don't you try."

And to Luke's great discomfort Rory opened the bag, poured half of the gummyworms into her drink and tasted it.

"Well?" Lorelai required.

"Not as good as with marshmallows", Rory said.

"There you have, we learnt something", Lorelai said.

"You'd think they melt", Rory said, poking her drink with a spoon.

"I think they're so full of everything that's unhealthy that they've lost their capability of melting", Luke pointed out.

"Our kind of food", Lorelai grinned. "Can we have two burgers and fries?"

"Didn't you say that if I give you coffee, you'll go away?"

"That was yesterday", Lorelai answered. "The prophesy has changed since then."

"Oh yeah? What it says now?"

"The inner eye can't see by command!"

Luke rolled his eyes and turned to Rory, who was now fishing the wet gummyworms and eating them one by one.

"Is she always like this?" he asked.

"This is a good day", she shrugged and put another worm into her mouth. "She told me all about you."

That surprised Luke, although he thought he probably shouldn't be surprised.

"Oh yeah? What did she say?"

"That you make good coffee, are crumby when you're busy and that you're a Scorpio."

"My whole biography", Luke answered. Rory giggled.

"She also said you have a nice smile", she added like an afterthought. At that, Lorelai made a small, offended noise. Luke turned to see her properly for the first time since they walked in the diner.

"A nice smile, huh?"

"Well, you did smile at me yesterday about a second. I think you could smile more. It'd do good for you."

Once again Lorelai made him smile against his will. And like to answer his smile, she smiled. Luke had always thought that it was stupid to say that a smile could lighten up a room. No one could smile like that, not even Rachel. Now he had to admit that he was wrong. He cleared his throat and turned to look at Rory, who had now finished with her worms.

"You want more?" he asked.

"No, thanks. I don't think that gummyworms really work with hot chocolate."

"Next time you should have marshmallows!" Lorelai hinted. Luke didn't even answer that but left to the kitchen to make his customer's burgers.

#####

"Hey, Luke."

It was Rory. She was hanging her back bag on one shoulder and looked a bit shy. Luke, who had never really liked kids, looked behind her to see if her mother had arrived as well. She hadn't.

"Hi", he said. And then, after a pause, he added, "Rory."

"Is it okay if I wait here until my Mum gets off from work? I... I mean she doesn't want me to go home alone", she blushed slightly. "I'm not any trouble. I'll sit in a table and do my homework. It shouldn't take that long, anyway."

"Sure", Luke said. "You want that chocolate coffee of yours?"

A smile spread across Rory's pale face. She didn't look so shy anymore.

"Yeah, that would be great, thank you", she said.

"Go and sit down, I'll bring it to you", Luke said. He watched as the girl walked cross the half empty diner, sat down and opened her bag back. She took out a book, opened it and started to read. Luke hoped that Lorelai would arrive soon. If Rory would get hungry and cranky, he didn't know what to do. He shook his head while he filled the cup and took it to Rory, turned his back at her and was about to leave, when Rory made a small squeak.

"There's marshmallows!"

Luke felt a bit ashamed. He really shouldn't have done that. It had been stupid. If Miss Patty or Babette would hear about this, they wouldn't leave him alone and probably start hinting Rachel that he wanted children. Which he didn't.

"That's really sweet, Luke", Rory continued. He looked at her. She smiled warmly and at that moment looked a lot like her mother.

"It was not a big deal", Luke waved it off and went back to the counter.

#####

After an hour the phone rang and Luke picked it up.

"Luke's"

"Hi, this is Lorelai. Is Rory there? Can I speak with her?"

"Lorelai? You know, this isn't a public phone. This is for orders."

"Yeah, I know. So the sooner you give the phone to my daughter, the sooner the call will end and you can continue your order taking."

He sighed and looked at Rory.

"Rory, your mother's calling."

Smiling sweetly the girl rounded the corner.

"Hi, Mum. Yes, I am here, speaking with you in the phone at Luke's. Yeah. Oh. No, it's okay. What? No", she looked at Luke and turned a bit like to hide her words. Luke went to the kitchen and banged some kettles so he didn't hear what she said next. When Rory came to the kitchen door and handed him the phone, he frowned. Sure she was able to put it back where it belonged by herself?

"What?" he asked quite rudely.

"She wants to talk to you."

"What?"

"Something about orders", Rory shrugged and went back to her table as he took the phone.

"Hello?" Luke said.

"Hi! Is it okay if Rory stays a bit later? A work emergency. Maids starting a riot, cooks throwing kettles, horses galloping through the hallways. You know, the basic stuff."

"What?"

"Tell her she can eat anything she wants and I'll come up later to pick her up and pay."

"What?"

"Put it on my tap."

"You don't have a tap."

"Okay. I want to open a tap. Now I have a tap. Put everything Rory eats on my tap. I promise I'll pay it. If I don't, you can keep Rory. She's great at drying plates."

"What?" he said again. He tried to keep up on what she was saying and what parts were important and what weren't.

"I'll come about nine. Thanks. Bye!"

"At nine? Hold on a minute -" too late; Lorelai had already hung up. Luke sighed and put the phone to its place. Rory was reading.

"Hey, Rory. You want something to eat?"

#####

The bell above the diner door rang and Lorelai rushed in.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry", she said and bent to kiss the top of Rory's head.

"What happened?" Rory asked.

"Michel."

"Ah", Rory said like that would explain everything. "What's he done this time?"

"He got mad to Ralph because he had thrown away his low-fat cheese. And Ralph got mad that Michel got mad and he said it was either him or Michel."

"Oh, no!" Rory said. "But you can't fire Michel. We like Michel."

"I know we like Michel, honey. But that means we're out of four cooks."

"Four?"

"Three of them left with Ralph", Lorelai said, sighed deeply and leaned against the table. "So I started to find another head chef and three cooks and two maids, because Miranda and Helen left because Miranda was dating Eddie and Helen doesn't do anything without Miranda."

"What about the horses?" Luke couldn't help but ask. Both Lorelai and Rory turned to look at him, both of their mouths open.

"The horses?" Lorelai stuttered.

"You said the horses were galloping through the hallways."

Lorelai and Rory changed a look and Rory hid a giggle pretty badly.

"It was a joke. I was joking."

"Yeah, I figured, but as the other two were true I started thinking that...never mind."

"Anyway", Lorelai said slowly and turned back to Rory. "We better go, school day tomorrow", she stood and gestured for Rory to pick up her stuff. Luke watched the girl to stuff her book into her back bag.

"Go wait in the truck and I'll pay and follow you in a minute", Lorelai said and handed the car key to her daughter. Rory startled and her eyes grew large and scared. She moved closer to her mother.

"But Mum", Rory whispered. "What if there's Kathy Bates in the truck?"

"There's no Kathy Bates in the truck, kid", Lorelai answered calmly. "I checked it just before I came in."

"She might've gotten in there while you were here. None of us would've noticed."

"Okay, if Kathy Bates is in our truck, before she kidnaps you into her lonely house in the snowy mountains, hobbles you and tells you to write a bestselling novel, remember to ask her to give an autograph."

The corner of Rory's lip pulled a bit.

"Mum!" she whispered loudly.

"Just go to the car, hon. I'll be right there."

Rory took her back bag and left. Lorelai moved to the counter.

"Thanks", she said. "For looking after her."

Luke shrugged.

"That's okay. She was no trouble."

"Yeah, I trained her well with a whistle and cookies."

Luke didn't even bother to ask what she meant. Suddenly Lorelai smiled.

"No, really. Thank you", she said. Luke forgot himself for a moment as Lorelai's smile was so astonishingly beautiful. Then he remembered he had a girlfriend he loved and cleared his throat.

"Yeah."

Lorelai nodded and took out her wallet.

"So what do I owe you?" she asked. Luke pulled up a random amount of money. He honestly had no idea what everything Rory had eaten during the day had cost. Lorelai gave him the money and bit good night. Before she stepped out of the door, Luke called after her. She stopped and turned.

"What would Kathy Bates do in your truck?"

"I put two bullets into this gun. One for me and one for you", she responded. Luke looked at her like she was a crazy-person, what she probably was. What on Earth was she talking about?

"What?" he managed to ask.

"I'm your number one fan", she said with a biggest grin on her face. He shook his head.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Misery?" she offered, taking a step towards the counter. He just looked at her blankly. "Stephen King?"

"Oh, I've heard of that guy", he said.

"Heard of that -, oh... Oh, Luke Danes. There is so much I can teach you", and with that she went to the door. "See you later!" she called before shutting the door behind her.


	2. Scraped Knees And Paper Leaves

**A/N:** Hello readers! Thank you so much for all the favorites, comments and follows! They made me so happy! Keep them coming, and I keep writing.

I'm sorry to tell that I have not yet found a Beta. I still wanted to publish this. I hope there isn't too much mistakes for you to give up on me.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Gilmore Girls or any of it's characters.

 **Scraped Knees And Paper Leaves**

One Saturday, when the lunchtime had just ended and Luke was cleaning the toaster, the door opened and a black-haired girl stepped in, looking nervous. Luke knew she was Kims' daughter, but he wasn't sure what her name was. Lin, perhaps, or something else Korean. None of the Kims ever came in the diner, and Luke was pretty sure Lin-what's-her-name was told not to go there. And maybe that was the reason she looked so scared.

"Do you have band-aids?" she asked. Luke frowned.

"Why?"

"Because Rory fell with her bike and her knee is bleeding."

Luke turned to the window. He saw the girl with brown hair sitting on the sidewalk, holding her left knee. For a moment he considered to tell Lin to go and ask Taylor or Miss Patty or her own mother to help. But then, from somewhere he didn't know where, came a thought of how Lorelai would react if she knew he hadn't helped her daughter. Without another thought he put the toaster down.

"What was your name?" he asked the girl.

"Lane."

"Okay, Lane, go and tell Rory that I'll be right up."

The girl nodded and ran out of the door. Although the diner was almost empty Luke told Cesar he'd be out for a minute, climbed up to his apartment to get band-aids, a wet towel and disinfectant and headed to the street with them.

"Hi, Rory", he said as he kneeled next to the girl on the street. "Let me see your knee."

Rory, with tears in her large, blue eyes, moved her shaking hand aside. She had slightly scraped knee.

"Okay", Luke said. He didn't know how to treat children whom had hurt themselves. "This isn't bad, but it needs to be cleaned. This might sting a bit. Okay?"

Rory nodded, so Luke poured disinfectant on the towel and patted the knee with it. Rory flinched and bit her lip.

"You know, when I was at your age, I had scraped knees all the time", Luke told. "I played softball and I fell down often."

"I didn't play softball when I fell", Rory said.

"Yeah, well, if you're scared to get your knees skinned, you shouldn't bike at all", Luke mused. He placed the band-aid on the knee and patted it gently. "All good now. I think you'll live."

Rory moved her leg a little.

"It still hurts."

"It'll get better in few days. At least it's not broken", Luke said, stood and offered his hand to Rory. She took it and he pulled her up. Rory tried carefully to take a step. She smiled.

"Thanks, Luke", she said. Luke shrugged.

"Sure."

Lane came closer.

"Are you okay? Is it broken? Can you walk? Mum never let's me out again if we need to call an ambulance."

"It's okay", Rory said. "I can walk."

"Don't fell again", Luke said and left the girls.

He went back to the diner and took the toaster, when Babette, who had been eating while he had left, came to pay.

"What do you think of Lorelai and Rory?" she asked with her husky voice.

"I don't", Luke said. He knew that in some level it was a lie. It wasn't like he was thinking of them all the time, of course not. But he couldn't say that he didn't think of them at all. Sometimes he even wished they'd come to the diner. But there was no way he'd say that to Babette, because that'd mean it'd take less than a day until Rachel would know that too. And she'd misunderstand it, and where'd they be then?

"Rory's a sweet girl", Babette said. "She and her mother live next to me and Morey. They take care of Cinnamon if we are away. Lovely girls, both of them."

"Yeah, I'm sure", Luke said, looking for a way out of this conversation.

"It is such a shame the house is falling apart. They would really need some help in there, but I don't think Lorelai wants to ask."

"Mmh."

"She's such a lovely girl. So friendly and always ready to help, even though she has a lot to work with that Inn and she's so young to be a mother."

"Babette, I'm a bit busy right now", Luke lied.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sugar, we'll go and leave you to your work."

With that, she left with Morey. Luke put the toaster down again and turned to look Rory playing with Lane in the gazebo. He wondered what kind of a help they'd need in the house. Then he pushed the thought aside and continued cleaning the toaster.

#####

It was one of those days Luke wanted to throw Taylor with a kettle. The man had been bugging him the whole week by coming into the diner several times a day to ask Luke to decorate the diner for the upcoming Autumn Festival. So when Rory came in one day after school, carrying a lapful of paper leaves, he was sure that Taylor was behind it.

"Hey, Luke", the girl said joyfully as she dropped the leaves on the nearest free table.

"What are those for?" Luke asked suspiciously.

"We made them at school today", Rory answered. "We didn't have out usual English class, which was pity, because I really like English, but instead we made these things for Taylor Doose. We were let home earlier today because of the Autumn Festival and we are supposed to go and decorate the town", she paused and looked at her leaves sadly. "They're not as pretty as Lindsay's, but what can you do. I'm not in a good terms with scissors."

Luke rounded the table and picked one leave up and looked at it. It was pretty poorly done, but there was no way he was going to say that out loud. He looked at Rory, who was waiting for a comment.

"Well, they're not exactly symmetrical", he began, but before Rory's eyes could grew bigger and sadder, he continued, "But what does that matter? Not all the leaves are symmetrical anyway."

"But I wanted them to be", Rory said hanging her head.

"You know what?" Luke said, placing the leave back on the table. "I think they're great."

Rory still looked a bit miserable.

"If you want, you can decorate the diner with them", Luke said before thinking. He was so ready to regret it before he saw Rory's face lit up.

"Really?" she asked. Luke hesitated, but the eagerness on Rory's blue eyes and her the blush on her cheeks made him smile against his better judgement.

"Yeah, sure", he said. Rory made a small jump and picked the leaves up.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

#####

Half an hour later Luke was standing on a stood and taping the leaves on the window. He saw Taylor walking by, stopping to stare and then walking inside.

"Well, well, what do my eyes see?" he said.

"Shut up, Taylor."

"And I was sure I heard you, not so long ago but this morning, to tell me to put the decorations somewhere I rather not repeat in front of children", he turned to look at Rory, who handed the last leave to Luke. "Ah, Rory Gilmore! Is this your doing?"

"Is what my doing?" Rory asked.

"Lucas never decorates his diner."

"Oh", Rory said. "Luke, you should've said something. I don't want you to decorate the diner if you don't want to."

"Nah, it's done already", Luke muttered as he stepped down from the stool and looked at the window, now full of leaves.

"Yeah, but if you don't like them..."

"Now, Rory, let it be if he says so", Taylor said. "You, young lady, should tell him to do this every year."

Rory looked from one to another and seemed to be thinking what she could say that both of them would accept. To give her a rest, Luke rounded the counter.

"What can I get you, Taylor?"

"Oh, nothing. I just came in to admire the decorations."

"Well, now you've done that. If you're not eating, you can leave."

Shooting him a deadly glare Taylor left. Rory stood in the middle of the floor and looked ashamed.

"Really, Luke, if you don't like them -"

"They're staying", Luke said firmly. "You want something to eat?"

Rory looked at the window and then at Luke.

"I shouldn't... I mean, I have homework."

"Okay."

There was a silence, during which Luke filled the coffeemaker and put it on. Then Rory opened her mouth.

"Are you good a math?"

#####

"...and that's when I decided I want to go to Harvard."

"You decided which college you want to go when you were five?" Luke asked.

"Yep. Mum knew it before I did, though. She bought me this sweater when I was just a baby, and I used it as a blanket and later as a nighty. Now that I could use it as a sweater, it's all ripped and says 'AR ARD' which is still kinda cool."

"Maybe your Mum should buy you a new Harvard-sweater."

The bell rang but neither of them turned to look. Rory nodded seriously.

"I should ask that to my birthday present."

"Or just tell me you want something that doesn't read pirate", came a gleeful comment behind them. They turned to see beaming Lorelai.

"Mum!" Rory exclaimed happily and jumped up to hug her mother.

"Hey, sweets, how was your day?"

"I made paper leaves, look!" Rory pointed at the window. Lorelai turned to see and then smiled at her daughter.

"Ooh, they're horrible. You really shouldn't be an artist."

Luke raised his eyebrows. Rory sighed.

"I know."

"It's good that you don't want to. I mean, look at that chestnut leaf. It looks like a limp star."

"It's not a chestnut leaf", Rory said sadly. "It's a maple leaf."

"Really?" Lorelai asked and went closer. "Then it's even worse."

"Maybe I should try dancing? I know that I already tried cheerleading, but perhaps I'd be better at ballet?"

"Sure, kid, if that's what you want."

"I gotta be talented at something."

"You are talented at writing. I'm sure there isn't any other eleven-year-old who can write an essay about Anne Brontë."

"You're wrong. Every girl who has ever gone Harvard has written an essay about Anne Brontë when they were eleven."

"No, they don't. They write about other Brontës, because they're much more interesting. Anne's a bit boring."

"But she wrote about a woman who left her husband. That's much more modern than what Charlotte and Emily wrote."

Luke, who had no idea what the girls were talking about, stood and went to the counter.

"Hey, Duke! Where's my coffee?" Lorelai shouted at him.

Luke raised his eyebrows.

"You didn't order any."

"Aw, hello, it's me! I don't need to say I want coffee, you can expect me to want coffee. Anytime and all the time, I want coffee."

Rolling his eyes, Luke filled the cup while Lorelai turned back to her daughter and told her that she had finally found a new head chef, and she had found her closer than she had expected.

"You remember Sookie, right?" she asked, and Rory nodded.

"Well, I didn't even think of her, and she's been working at the Inn for three years now. So she's an obvious choice, isn't she?"

"She's a great choice, Mum", Rory agreed. "How's Mr. Hudson?"

"Oh", Lorelai sighed. "I can't tell you before I get my coffee", she shot a glare at Luke, who brought the coffee to her and went back to the counter. He noticed Rory smiling at him and smiled back.

"Did Mr. Hudson and Michel have a fight again?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, they did. But they have a fight every time Mr. Hudson comes, so I'm not worried about that anymore. Him and Michel just don't like each other."

"Like asking Bette to kiss Joan."

"Exactly", Lorelai agreed. Luke followed this exchange between the mother and daughter with great interest. They both talked faster than anyone he'd ever met, especially Lorelai, who seemed to have a talent to speak without breathing. It also seemed that Rory found just the right answer every time without a need to pondering one, like he needed to if someone said something to him. And he felt that he didn't understand half of the conversation. Who was Bette and why would anyone ask her to kiss Joan? And who was Joan?

"Anyway, they had their usual fight in the lobby, after which I had to offer Mr. Hudson a free dessert and beg Michel to come back to the counter. But Mr. Hudson is leaving tomorrow, so it'll get easier after that", while she spoke, she stood up. "Can I use the bathroom?" she asked.

"Sure. Back there and left", Luke answered. Lorelai headed to the back and Rory smiled at Luke and seemed suddenly shy again. Luke cleared her throat.

"I heard your house would need some fixing", he said looking at the counter. Somehow saying this to Rory seemed easier. She was a kid, she would be honest if there was broken windows or leaking roof or something like that.

"Yeah, some things need a bit fixing", Rory admitted. "But we'll be fine."

"Sure, sure..." Luke muttered. "But if you need... something. Just ask me, okay?"

Rory smiled.

"Okay. Thanks, Luke."

Lorelai came out of the bathroom.

"You ready, hun? Got your books? Your backpack? Your shoes? Okay, good", she was ready to leave, when she suddenly twirled on her heels and came to the counter, took out some money to pay and smiled at Luke.

"Thanks for fixing up my kid the other day."

"What? Oh, yeah. Sure."

"And letting her to decorate your window."

Luke felt his cheeks heat up and said nothing, as saying something felt somewhat stupid. He only shrugged.

"And for the coffee", Lorelai added. "It's great coffee. And I should know, I drink a lot of coffee. I know when coffee is good and yours is great. So thanks for the coffee. I should come drink it more often."

With that, they left.


	3. Softball and a Mother's Worry

**A/N:** Hello my lovely readers! Thank you so much for all the reviews and follows! Keep them coming, they're the best motivation to keep going!

I have now found a Beta, so let's give a big hand to **GMWJavaJunkie,** who had enough patience to correct my mistakes.

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Tell me what you thought!

 **Disclaimer:** Still not mine

 **Softball and A Mother's Worry**

Lorelai was drinking her second cup of coffee when Rory came out of her bedroom. She had her hair in a ponytail and she was wearing sneakers, a T-shirt and a baseball cap, which was facing backwards on her head. Lorelai stared at her for a second.

"Oh, hello, you strange sport-girl. Have you seen my daughter? About your height, brown hair, blue eyes, never wear a baseball cap?"

Rory gave her the smile she used to give her when she was acting strangely. Which was very unfair, since it was Rory who was acting strangely. She followed her daughter to the coffeepot.

"Seriously though, what's with the Jim Kelly -thing here?"

"We have a softball thing today at the field."

"A softball thing? Rory, honey, you do know that that's a sport, right?"

"Mm-hmm", Rory said, pouring coffee into her cup.

"That includes a ball?" Lorelai continued, following her around the kitchen table. "And a bat you use to hit the ball? And running? You'd have to run, Rory. Run. With your own feet."

"Yes, Mom, I know ", Rory answered as she mixed cocoa powder into her coffee.

"Then why are you going?" Lorelai asked. There had to be a reason for this. A good reason because Rory never did anything without a reason.

"Because I want to. I've never tried that before. It's good to know what's it like."

That wasn't good enough reason, and they both knew that. Neither Rory nor Lorelai did sports. Ever. Sports and eating healthy in Crap Shack were like motorcycles and swimming with your evening dress on were in the Gilmore household. Lorelai followed Rory when she went to the livingroom to pick up her backpack.

"I tell you what's it like. It's like trying to hit a ball and then running and then not knowing what's going on."

"Well, I still want go", Rory said stubbornly. "And I need a ride."

"Oh, I give you a ride. I even stay and watch you play. And when it's over, I'm going to jump around you and say 'I told you so' with a sing-song voice."

"Oh, geez..."

Lorelai followed her daughter out to the car. She couldn't help but feel a bit worried. There was one other person she knew who wore a baseball cap like that. Someone Rory talked a lot about. A man. Lorelai never introduced any men to Rory, because she'd never gotten to the point where the relationship was serious enough. She didn't want Rory to get attached to a man who could just up and vanish without warning. She never thought she'd go and find one on her own. You know start liking him, and talking about him, and wearing a hat like him, and playing a sport like him. That was not good. Or was it?

They arrived by the field where they kept the softball games and Lorelai parked the car. Rory jumped out of the car and ran to her friends, but Lorelai looked around. There were a bunch of other mothers talking, when Lorelai noticed the man and it all made so much more sense now. She walked by the other moms to Luke, who was taking out balls and other softball equipment from a big box. She stood next to him and crossed her arms, smiled.

"So, you're the reason my kid wanted to come and play softball."

Luke looked up and seemed a bit confused, "Huh?"

"Rory's been weird all morning, talking on and on about softball and baseball and the Yankees and The Sultan of Swat. I started to get worried, but she didn't have fever, so I brought her out here. And here you are."

"Me?" Luke asked, still confused. Lorelai frowned lightly and her worry grew. This man obviously had no idea how important he already was to Rory. Lorelai bit her lip and thought for a second what she should say or if she should say anything at all.

"I thought you were too busy with the Diner to teach softball," Lorelai said.

"Yeah, well, I am, but five kids came into the diner to ask me, and one of them had a rash. And he kept scratching himself. How could I you say no to that?" Luke said

"I don't know?" Lorelai said

"Exactly. I'm not a kid person. I have a business to run. I don't have time to teach them to play softball. I don't know where they even had the idea I could teach them softball." While Luke spoke, his arms swung around to emphasize the main points.

He seemed to mean what he said. About kids, that was. He didn't like kids. He didn't like Rory, Lorelai understood and it made me incredibly sad. Poor Rory. Her darling, sweet little girl would be devastated. Lorelai took a long breath and opened my mouth to start a big speech she hadn't prepared, but was interrupted by the kids, who appeared next to them to collect their softball gloves.

Lorelai could've sworn she had never been so bored watching her child to do something. She usually loved watching Rory, whatever she did, because it was Rory and Rory was perfect. But, as it seemed, sports were something that made even watching Rory boring. She sighed loudly. They weren't even playing! They were just pitching balls to each other! She turned to the nearest mom. She usually avoided having conversations with the other mothers, since they seemed to think she was irresponsible mother by living in a potting shed behind the Inn. The fact that they no longer lived there but in a proper house where Rory had a room of her own didn't seem to matter. Well, the house was a bit of a mess, there was a constant chill in her bedroom, the oven worked only every other day (not that she could say for sure, since she didn't use the it that often) and she was sure that the kitchen faucet leaked. But it was their house, their first real home. Not sure how she drifted off so easily Lorelai shook her head and turned to the other mother.

"Did you know Luke didn't even want to keep this lesson?" she asked. "Had he said no I wouldn't be here."

"I'm sorry?" the mother asked politely. There was the 'I don't prove you living in a potting shed with your daughter'-look again. So partly to comfort herself, but mostly to annoy the mother, Lorelai started to babble.

"Well, he said that some boy with a rash came to ask him to teach. No, that's not what he said. He said he had rash and he kept scratching himself and that made him extremely uncomfortable. Like he doesn't have those boy parts himself", she suddenly paused. "He does have boy parts, does he?"

The mother looked at her like she had said an ugly word. Lorelai felt satisfied and smiled widely.

"Eric is my son and yes, he had a rash, but it is extremely unpolite to tell it around!" the mother snapped. Lorelai's smile faded. Well, she should've guessed.

"Oh. Sorry. I didn't realize you were his mother", Lorelai said sincerely. But that didn't seem to help. The mother raised her chin and marched away.

"Bye", Lorelai called after her and turned back to the game. "Oh, come on Rory, if you ever want to play softball again, I'm so not coming to see."

But right then Luke waved the kids to come to him.

"Okay, who wants to play?" he asked. The kids cheered. Lorelai joined them and whistled from the crowd. Luke shot a glare at her and she grinned and waved, but lost interest once the game started. She just sat down and sighed.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, it was Rory's turn to swing. Lorelai stood and watched carefully as her daughter swung the bat and, to both her and Rory's surprise, hit the ball. It flew few feet forward and hit the ground. Rory just stood there, the bat hanging in her hand. That's when Lorelai jumped up.

"Run, Forrest, run!" she shouted. Rory seemed to wake up. She threw the bat away and ran to the first base while her mother cheered to her. Her Rory, her anti-sport Rory, had hit the ball! She truly was perfect.

When the game ended, Rory ran towards the audience, but she didn't come right to her mother. She ran to Luke.

"Did you see that? Did you see me? Did you see me hit the ball?"

"Yeah, I saw", Luke smiled.

"I scored!" she shouted jumping up and down

"Well, it's not called that." Luke said

"Made a goal?" she asked

"Not that either."

"What then?"

"Well you did make a run, but you were out..." he explained as I walked onto the field

"I was?"

"You didn't make it to the third base in time so yeah, you were out."

"I didn't score?" Rory said in a somber tone

"It's not -" Luke started

"Hey, kid!" Lorelai interrupted. She had a feeling Luke didn't want to start the conversation from the beginning. "Nice game! You hit the ball!"

"Now you can't say 'I told you so," Rory pointed out.

"But you still had no idea what was going on, now did you?" Lorelai grinned.

"I did too!"

"You were talking about making a goal."

Rory stuck her tongue out, and Lorelai just stuck hers out in return. Which made Rory roll her eyes.

Rory turned her attention back to Luke. "Thanks Luke. Bye!" Rory said politely to the man next to her and rushed back to her friends again.

Lorelai just shrugged and turned to Luke, who was packing the gloves back into the box.

"Hey", she said.

"Oh, you're still there?" he asked

"Oh, you'd know if I'd leave."

They exchanged a look that, to Lorelai said 'Why does my daughter like you, you grumpy, un-shaved, flannel-boy?' and to Luke said something that seemed to say 'Why do you need to be so annoying and gorgeous at the same time?'

"Is Rory causing any trouble?" Lorelai asked bluntly. Luke put the lit on the box and stood.

"Why would she be any trouble?" he questioned

"Well, she's at Luke's all the time. And you're Luke, so you're at Luke's all the time as well."

Luke wiped his hands on his jeans and just for a split-second Lorelai could visualize the look on her mother's face if she saw him do that.

"Yeah, so?" Luke said

"So you don't like kids." I said

There was a small pause. Luke looked down at his feet and then back up at Lorelai.

"Yeah, well, Rory's not in any trouble. She comes in, she sits down and does her homework. She doesn't cause any disturbance", he breathed in as if he was going to add something but closed his mouth instead. Although Lorelai had a feeling he left out the part that there was a disturbance after she came in to get Rory. She smiled. Luke seemed a bit taken aback that Lorelai was smiling.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I mean, if you want, I can tell her not to come in every day. She can go at Lane's sometimes. Or she can come at the Inn."

"I'm sure." He said standing up

"Okay," Lorelai nodded. She felt a bit better. Maybe Luke wasn't going to throw Rory out of the diner any day soon. And if he didn't throw her eleven-year-old daughter out of the diner, he wouldn't throw her out of his life. "Bye then," she said and waved.

Luke waved back and offered a small smile and a nod.


	4. The Absent Father and Nancy Drew

**A/N:** Well, hello there, my readers! Thank you so much for your comments, likes and reviews! They are always welcome, so keep them coming!

I would like to thank again my wonderful Beta, **GMWJavaJunkie** , for correcting my many mistakes!

I am sorry for the long pause! Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you'll like it!

 **Disclaimer** : I own nothing. Nothing!

 **The Absent Father and Nancy Drew**

Lorelai stormed into the diner and threw her bag at the counter.

"Coffee. Gimme", she said.

Luke took a cup, poured coffee into it and slid it across the counter, "Bad day?"

"Oh, you have no idea. I'm organizing my first wedding at the Inn. And the bride is a real bridezilla. And I'm okay with that, I can make it work with bridezillas, I'm an expert on handling bridezillas. But the groom is a groomzilla."

"A groomzilla?" Luke asked

"Yes, a groomzilla. He says that he wants yellow, But the bride says that she hates yellow and there's no way that there's going to be even a spot of yellow at her wedding. And if they can't compromise even at the color pattern, you have no idea what else they argued about. At the end of the day I just wanted to tell them not to get married at all!" she took a deep breath and shagged her shoulders.

"Doughnut?" Luke asked.

Lorelai smiled a bit.

"You know, everyone else keeps telling me how this is my destiny. You know, spotlight on me, a wind machine blowing my hair all over the place and 'Defying Gravity' playing in the background. But you say 'doughnut?' like you'd know exactly what I want to hear."

"I take that as a yes."

"Yes, that was a yes", she admitted looking around "Where's Rory?"

"She's not here yet."

"Oh. Hmmm. I guess she has some extra work at school then", she took a bite of her doughnut. They sat in a moment of awkward silence. Luke rounded the counter and went to ask the only other client if he needed something. He didn't, so Luke returned to his spot behind the counter.

Lorelai had finished up her doughnut and neither of them really knew what to say.

Luke realized that this was the first time since the day they met that they were alone without Rory being there.

"Hey, did you know Rory's birthday is coming up?" Lorelai asked suddenly.

Luke looked up, "No, I didn't."

"Yeah", she said, happy that she had found something to talk about.

Luke wiped the counter but Lorelai could tell he was listening.

"We're having a party," Lorelai said "some of Rory's friends will be there but I invited Babette, Miss Patty, Sookie, Michel... you know, so that I'll have a permission to have alcohol at my underaged kid's birthday party. Not that I'll be drunk. Well, maybe a little tipsy!"

Luke glared at the babbling woman in front of him. He couldn't deny that the silence had been uncomfortable, but it was still better than this. He thought that the best way to get back there was not to say a word.

"You should come too", Lorelai said suddenly.

Luke looked up at her, "What? To Rory's birthday party?"

"Yeah, sure", Lorelai smiled. "I mean, I'm sure Rory wishes you could come."

For some reason, Luke wanted to ask whether Lorelai wished that too. Not that it mattered. He was in a happy relationship with a woman who didn't want to stay still. Completely happy. There were no problems in his relationship what so ever. He cleared his throat.

"Thanks, but I don't think I'm free."

"You don't even know when the party is", Lorelai pointed out.

"Yeah, well, but I have the diner open every day, so..."

The awkward silence fell between them again.

Lorelai looked down, "Yeah, okay," she shrugged.

"It's not like I don't want to come", Luke lied. There were very little things he wanted to do less than go to someone's kid's birthday party. Even if the kid was Rory and the one asking him to come was Lorelai.

He needed to remind himself of Rachel. What was wrong with him?

"No, I get it. You're a single man, you have better things to do than to come to my kid's birthday", Lorelai said. She didn't sound angry or disappointed but for some reason Luke was both angry and disappointed with himself, and not only because he didn't correct Lorelai for thinking that he was single. He should tell her. But the longer he was quiet, the more stupid it felt to say anything.

"You know, I'm not -" He started as the door opened and Rory came in.

"Hey, Luke!" she said cheerfully. Then she noticed Lorelai. "Oh, hi Mom."

"Do I hear disappointment in your voice?" Lorelai asked.

"No?" Rory said in an obviously uncertain tone

"I do! You're disappointed to see your old momma!" Lorelai gasped.

Rory looked at Luke for any type of help.

Lorelai looked at Luke as well, "The one time I can leave work early to spend time with my amazing daughter, she doesn't want to see me!"

"I was just surprised, that's all," Rory said, "You're never here before me."

"Whatever, Erica Ingles," Lorelai snorted.

"I thought I had time to do my homework before you'd come," Rory said, not paying attention to her mother's interruption.

Luke somewhat admired the way she could just ignore what her mother said.

"Yeah, but Mia came to the Inn and I told her about our plans to binge-watch Zena the Warrior Princess the whole weekend and she said we had no time to waste," Lorelai said as she jumped down from her stool and wrapped her arm around Rory's shoulders.

"So, I was thinking about pizza and Chinese food and something from Al's for dinner, then we can watch hours and hours of bad special effects, armored girls and very awkward fighting scenes."

"But what about-"

"Rory, it's Zena!"

"Mom. Harvard!"

They stared at each other for a while.

"Fine." Lorelai said, "you have an hour and a half to do your homework before Zena. Deal?"

"Deal." Rory said

#####

It was a week later when Rory came into the Diner and looked so happy, that she even made Luke start to smile.

"Hey, Luke!" she said with a huge grin on her face.

"Hey", Luke answered. "What are you so happy about?"

"Oh, nothing," Rory said, still smiling. "I'm turning twelve this Saturday."

"Oh, yeah, I heard about that," Luke said and smiled. "You have a party and everything."

"Yeah, and my Dad's coming!"

Luke stopped pouring the cup of coffee for the random customer.

"Oh, wow", he said as he didn't know what else to say.

To be honest, he had never thought about Rory's father. Now he started wondering why. He had known Rory for few months now and he had not once thought about who her father was.

"Yeah, he finally said he's able to come!" Rory said

"That's great", Luke said. He tried to figure out what was the nasty little feeling in his stomach.

"You should come too", Rory said warmly. "It won't be just kids there", she blushed slightly. "I'd like you to come."

If there were any people on this planet who could change Luke's 'no' to a 'yes' it wasn't Rachel. It was the Gilmore girls.

"I'll think about it", Luke said. He hoped that when Rory would leave he'd find his mind again. But his maybe seemed to be enough for Rory, who's smile turned into a bright grin.

#####

After dropping Rory off at school Lorelai walked to diner and decided to go in. She needed coffee. She walked in and smiled when she saw Luke, who was in the phone and glanced up from the order he was writing down and nodded.

Lorelai sat down and waited Luke to finish.

"Hey," he said putting the phone back to its cradle, "What're you doing here?"

"Is that how you greet your costumers? No wonder it's so empty here", Lorelai said

Luke put his hands into his back pockets and said nothing.

"Coffee", Lorelai said quickly.

She wanted to avoid the awkward silence that had been present a week earlier. Otherwise she'd start to babble jut to fill up the silence, and somehow, she thought that Luke didn't like her babbling. He seemed to be a guy who didn't like much about anything. So, that's why it was so weird that Rory liked him so much.

"So the party's on Saturday?" Luke said suddenly, while pouring her coffee.

"What? Oh, yeah," Lorelai answered and took the cup.

She watched as Luke struggled to find words.

"What do you think... I mean, I suck at buying presents, especially for kids, so what do you think Rory would like to have?"

This might have been the first time in her life that she was completely stunned by something someone said to her. It took her several seconds to answer.

"You want to by a gift to Rory?" Lorelai said looking up

"Yeah, well, I guess that's the policy with birthday parties," Luke said drily.

Lorelai tilted her head and smiled, "So you changed your mind about coming?"

"Is it okay?" Luke asked

"Yeah, sure," Lorelai smiled. "And you don't have to bring a gift. Although, if you really want to, it should be pretty easy to know what to get to her."

Luke looked confused. Lorelai leaned a bit closer to the counter.

"It's elementary, my dear Watson", she said with a low voice. Luke still didn't seem to get it. Had he really spent days with her daughter if he didn't know even this thing about her? "What's the one thing she always does after she's done with her homework? Why does her back bag weigh so much?" she gave him one more change. Nothing. "She reads!"

"Oh", he understood. "Yeah, I know. Okay. A book, then. What kind of a book?"

"Rory reads anything with words on it", Lorelai said. "She's not picky. She's read everything from 'Good Night Moon' to 'Crime and Punishment' and from James Herriot to Kafka. It really doesn't matter. If it has covers, she'll love it. And even if it doesn't have covers. She read 'Mrs Dalloway' without covers. If it's a book, or a magazine, or a piece of paper with words on it, she'll read it", at that point Lorelai remembered she'd have to go to work, emptied her coffee cup with four huge gulps and paid for it. "Thanks for the coffee! I guess I'll see you on Saturday!"

#####

On Saturday Luke left the Diner to go to a child's birthday party. He had no idea what had gotten to him. Ever since Lorelai had walked into the Diner, begging for coffee, he found himself doing things he had never done before. Like patching up scraped knees, emptying a match box to use as a coffin for a dead caterpillar and attending to a child's birthday party.

Lorelai and Rory had just waltzed into his life and turned it upside down. And even he couldn't say that the change was unwelcome. Even though he was certain that it would be a talk of the town for the next two weeks or so, he carried a book wrapped into a pink and yellow paper through the town to Lorelai's house. He heard the music and laughter in the yard and paused briefly, he hated this kind of event. Why was he going there in the first place? Because Rory asked him to.

With Lorelai, he was able to say no because of the small voice in his head that spoke in Rachel's voice. Rory was different. Rory was a child. Going to Rory's birthday party was completely innocent. Luke took a deep breath and went inside. For a moment he thought he had stepped into a Wonderland. There were colorful steamers all over the place with a gigantic teapot hanging from the roof.

"Luke!" he heard someone shout.

Everyone turned to look at him like he was weirder than the teapot covered with glitter.

Lorelai came up to him and handed him a very welcome beer.

"It's nice that you came", she smiled. "Rory will be happy."

"Where is she?" Luke asked.

"She's... hmm, she's in the kitchen helping Sookie", Lorelai said. Something in her pretend-to-be-happy -voice made Luke think that everything wasn't well. He headed towards the kitchen and found the birthday girl sitting at the table and looking a bit sad.

"Hey, Rory, look what the cat brought in", Lorelai said brightly. Rory looked up.

It took a while for her to muster up a smile.

"Oh, hi, Luke," she said.

"I brought you a gift", he said and handed the present to her.

Rory looked at it and then at Luke and blinked her eyes rapidly, "You shouldn't have to", she muttered, but ripped the wrapping paper off anyway. She stared at the book in her hands for a while.

"I didn't know what kind of books you like", Luke said quickly. "I asked your mother but she wasn't any help. So I called to my sister and asked her what books she read at your age and she mentioned this. So I went to the bookstore but Andrew said they didn't have them, so I drove to Woodbridge and..." he cut off. "Anyway, I don't know if you like Nancy Drew or not. You don't have to read it if you don't want to."

"You went through all that just to buy me a book?" she whispered.

"It's no big deal", Luke waved it off.

Without any warning, Rory started to cry. "Excuse me", she mumbled, stood and ran to the room next to the kitchen and closed the door.

Luke looked at Lorelai, who wore a sad expression, "What happened? What did I say wrong?"

"Nothing, it's not you," Lorelai sighed.

"Are you sure it wasn't me? I mean she just burst into tears."

"It wasn't you," Lorelai said calmly. "She... hmm... her Dad was supposed to come today, but he called this morning and said he couldn't make it."

Lorelai looked sad and angry at the same time.

Luke was surprised about how much he could hate for someone he'd never met, and the fact that something about Lorelai's expression told him that this wasn't the first time Rory's father had done something like this.

"I should go to her", Lorelai said quietly. "Thank you for coming, Luke. I'm sure it means a lot to Rory. Have something to eat, okay? I'll go and talk to Rory."

#####

 **A/N:** Okay. So I know that Luke bought bad gifts to Rory as well, but even though I'm trying to stay canon, I decided to bend thje rules just a little bit to underline the difference between Luke and Chritopher. Please don't shoot me!


	5. Shooting Arrows and the Broken Heart

**A/N:** Hello readers! Sorry for the delay! I hope you haven't given up on me because of that. Anyway, here's the next chapter because what would Lorelai and Luke be if they'd never fight?

Thank you again for your reviews, follows and favorites! Keep them coming and tell me how I'm doing with the characters!

Just saying that if I used even half as much time on my original novel than I'm using on this (mostly looking for all the references ect.) it'd be ready already...

I want to thank again my amazing Beta **GMWJavaJunkie**!

 **Disclaimer:** As usual.

 **Shooting Arrows and Broken Heart**

Thanksgiving was one of the worst days of the year, because that was one of the rare days Lorelai had to go to her parents. Lorelai knew that bailing on Thanksgiving would be almost as worse as her getting pregnant at sixteen and running away from home with an infant.

So, at five o'clock on Thursday she and Rory left Crap Shack to drove to Hartford. The only good thing about this was food. And the fact that the Gilmore House would be full of people so it'd be easy to vanish into the background. Still, when she pulled the car into the driveway, she sat still for a moment.

Rory looked at her with her big blue eyes, "You know, the sooner we go in the sooner we can leave."

Her sweet Rory, who wanted to be nice to everyone but felt like betraying her mother if she was nice to her grandparents. What would she do without Rory? Not go in, that was for sure.

"Yeah", Lorelai said. She was feeling sick. "Just give me a minute."

Rory nodded.

Lorelai focused on breathing. She knew what was waiting for her, and she'd give almost anything to avoid it. But Rory was right; if they'd go in now, they'd be able to leave sooner.

She took another deep breath and stepped out of the car. The walk to the front door felt like walking to a scaffold.

At the door, she stopped and hesitated. Rory did a favor to her and rang the bell for her. No one seemed to come.

"Maybe they forgot?" Lorelai whispered.

"After sending us an invite with a fragrant?"

"Maybe they fainted because they used so much fragranced paper?"

The door opened and a maid let them in. The house was quiet and Lorelai had a bad feeling about it. When Emily entered, she knew she had a reason for that feeling.

"Ah, Lorelai, Rory, how nice that you came!" she said with the smile that she had created just for these kinds of situations.

"Yeah. Where's everyone?" Lorelai asked as she held her coat even though the maid was reaching for it. "You said the wing-ding begins at five thirty."

"It's not a wing-ding", Emily said with contempt.

"What? Mom, you sent us an invitation. With a time and address on it. With RSVP. And it had fragrant, Mom. You sent us an invitation with fragrant and you say it's not a party?"

"I never said it's not a party, Lorelai", Emily said superciliously. "It's a dinner party. We never have 'wing-dings', Lorelai, you should know that."

Lorelai tried very much not to roll her eyes and say that wing-dings just might make these kinds of events fun.

"Okay. If it's a dinner party, then where are all the guests?"

"They come at seven, as it said in their invitations."

"Okay, now you're just messing with us. Our invitation said five thirty. I have the invitation with me so I can show you", Lorelai said and started to seek the card from her bag, "I took it in case your maid wants a prove that I have been invited like they did last year."

"No need for that, Lorelai", Emily said with an eyeroll that Lorelai wanted to do. "I invited you and Rory here before the guests arrive. I wanted to meet my daughter and granddaughter alone. Is that so wrong?"

Lorelai stopped seeking for the invitation. Well, crap. "Should've guessed", she muttered under her breath.

"Did you say something, Lorelai?" Emily asked. She was still smiling but there was coldness in her voice that told Lorelai she had heard but wanted her to say it again, to her face, so she could have a real reason to be angry at her.

"No, nothing."

"Are you sure? I certainly heard something."

"Well, it wasn't me", Lorelai said and tried to laugh it off even though she wasn't one bit amused. She tried to find a reason, any reason, she could leave the house for the next hour and a half.

"Now, come on, let's not stand in the entry."

"No, Mom, don't you think we should stay here, close to the door? In case... in case there's a fire? Better stay near the escape route if the turkey lights up, right?" Lorelai took half a step closer to the door.

She knew this wasn't one of her best excuses, but she had been cornered. Emily didn't answer, which wasn't really a surprise. Rory glimpsed her mother before following Emily. Lorelai shot one last longing look at the door before following them as well.

After that, the night turned into a living nightmare.

Lorelai did her best to stay civil, but there came those small arrows Emily was so talented at shooting that no one else noticed them flying but her. And she just sat there and took the hits.

Emily hinted that Lorelai was wasting her life as she was working at a motel and unmarried, not to mention that Rory's life was basically ruined as she wasn't in a private school. But as the time when other guests' arrival came closer, Lorelai felt that she couldn't be even civil anymore. Because for some unexplainable reason, Rory had mentioned Luke.

"So", Emily said looking at her daughter. "This Luke. Who is he? Are you two dating?"

"What?" Lorelai asked with her eyes growing large. "Me and Luke? No!"

"Then why were you so hurried to deny having a relationship with that man", Emily pointed out.

"What did you expect me to do? If I'd hesitate, you'd ask why I hesitated."

"Rory seems to be fond of him."

"Yeah, she is. Weirdo."

It was a wrong thing to say and Lorelai realized it the moment it came out of her mouth. Emily had the look in her eyes that said she thought she had won the argument that hadn't even started. Lorelai looked around herself to find a way to escape.

"What do you know of this Luke?" Emily asked. An ambush! a voice in Lorelai's mind shouted. But, as usually when dealing with her parents, she spoke before thinking.

"He makes really good coffee, he's a Scorpio and plays softball."

"Lorelai, I'm serious!"

"That's about everything I know about him", Lorelai shrugged. "If you want to know more, you should ask Rory. She knows him better than I do."

"So, you're saying that you let your daughter to spent time alone with a man you don't even know?"

"Mom, calm down, he's not Larry Gene Bell!"

"How do you know that?" Emily argued. "You said it yourself, you don't know this man!"

Behind Emily, Rory's smile faded and she looked worried. Lorelai stood up.

"Can I talk to you, Mom?"

"What?"

But Lorelai didn't stay to listen. She went straight to Richards office as Emily followed her. She turned to her and tried to stay calm, although she felt like exploding.

"Please, Mom, don't speak like that of Luke in front of Rory. She adores him. And if you don't trust on me then trust Rory. If she likes Luke it means he's a good guy. Although I remember Rory crying when Scar died in the Lion King and sobbed how he was just misunderstood. But that's just Rory, she likes the underdogs! So maybe Luke is a bit underdog. But he's a good man. All the people in Stars Hollow know he's a good man." Lorelai tried to stop herself from talking, but she was nervous and stressed and angry and all that made it impossible to not to talk.

She knew that the main reason she was so aggressively defending Luke was because her mother would despite him. And anything Emily didn't like, Lorelai made several likings. Even if she really didn't like it. She knew it was childish, but old habits die hard.

"You should stop thinking about men for once, Lorelai, and start thinking about Rory. She has lost so much because of your selfish try to be independent."

Lorelai opened her mouth but nothing came out.

It was so unfair and so Emily like that Lorelai wanted to cry.

Emily's nostrils flared like they did when she was furious but didn't want to show it. There was a knock on the front door. For a few more seconds Emily and Lorelai stared at each other. Then Emily turned and went to welcome her guests.

Lorelai sat down and buried her face into her hands.

Sniffy's was full that night. Luke sat on the counter and drank a beer after beer. He had always considered himself lucky for having a woman like Rachel in his life. Rachel was clever. Rachel was beautiful. And Rachel was not one bit jealous. Not like she ever had to be.

Luke wasn't that kind of a man. He, on the other hand... if he didn't have to worry about other men, he had to worry about other things. Like the world. Because Rachel could never settle down in one location. And he would never leave Stars Hollow. So maybe their relationship was dead before it even started. He should've known it for the first time she had left. Or the second.

He sighed and took out her wallet to pay his next beer. A piece of paper dropped to the counter and he picked it up. He had drunk so much already that it was difficult to read. 'You meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she'll go away'. Inexplicable anger took over him. This was all because of Lorelai! She had said keeping this piece of paper would bring him luck.

"More like no luck", he muttered and a joyless chuckle escaped from his lips. Maisy came to him.

"Everything alright there, Lucas?"

"Yeah, sure. Everything's fine. So fine that I don't even notice that my girlfriend's toothbrush isn't there anymore. Not until the next morning", he laughed bitterly again, holding the horoscope between his fingers. Maisy looked at him silently.

"Rachel left again, huh?"

Luke sighed, crumbled the piece of paper and folded it open again.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry", Maisy said softly and reached to squeeze his hand. She left to serve other customers. Luke stared at the horoscope.

"Yeah, me too", he muttered. He read the horoscope again. How had he let things to go this far? In the past, few months he had been so smitten he had sometimes forgotten he had a girlfriend. And now Rachel had left and he had no idea if it was because Rachel couldn't stay still or because he had been treasuring feelings for another woman. He, who had always thought that Rachel should never have a reason to be jealous. Luke sighed again. What was wrong with him? He was in a completely good relationship and then... and then! Damn, that woman had just danced into his life and left her daughter to him like there was nothing weird at all. And he had let it happen! He had let his life to derail for no reason what so ever! He was so angry at himself. He folded the horoscope again, only to unfold it again. He couldn't even throw that piece of paper away, even though it had as good as ruined his life.

"Hey, Luke", it was Buddy. Maisy had told him. Luke tried to focus his eyes to somewhere else than into Lorelai's handwriting. Damn, she had a nice handwriting.

"Hey, Buddy!" he said so cheerfully it wouldn't have fooled even Kirk.

"What do you have there?" Buddy asked, nodding towards the horoscope.

"My bad luck omen."

"Huh?"

"'You will meet an annoying woman today'", Luke read out loud. "'Give her coffee and she will go away'", he chuckled again. "She didn't! Or she did then but she came back. And her daughter is there _all the time_. And that brings her there _every single day_. She comes back again and again and do you see her handwriting?"

Just listen to yourself, he said to himself. You sound like an idiot. Buddy smiled a bit in the way buddies smile when they think they know what you're thinking about.

"So, who is this girl?"

"Doesn't matter", he said and put the horoscope into his wallet. Buddy saw him do it but said nothing. "I have to go now. Early delivery", Luke lied. He didn't want Buddy to ask anything about Lorelai. He didn't want to talk about Lorelai. He didn't want to think about Lorelai. He left Sniffy's and went back home. Being alone had never bothered him, but that night his small apartment felt lonely. And damn he wanted to cry.

#####

The next day wasn't any better. Luke had a hangover and he was feeling like the ground was unstable. He had been in a bad mood the whole day and most people knew that when he was in a bad mood it was better not to talk to him at all. There were, however, one person who didn't know it.

"Hey, Luke!" Rory said as she dropped her backpack to the floor. "Guess what! Because of the first snow, we're supposed to write a story about the start of Stars Hollow! And I thought to interview you!"

Luke took a deep breath. Don't shout at Rory, he told himself. Just be nice. Give her coffee and maybe she'll go away.

"Your Mom's working late again?" he said as he put the cup in front of her.

"Yeah. But that's okay. So. What's the story?"

"What story?"

"About Stars Hollow!" Rory said, took out a pen and paper and looked eagerly at him.

"You know what? Maybe you should ask Taylor. He loves telling stories."

"Yeah, I know. But I don't want Taylor's story. Everyone's asking him. I want something fresh. I want Luke Danes -story."

"I don't have time to tell you stories", Luke said a bit too harshly.

"Okay, but later? I can wait. I'll just do my other homework and maybe then we can -"

"Why don't you just go home to do your homework, huh? Why do you have to come here every single day? Go to the Inn and be a pain of someone else's ass for change! I don't have time to look after you. Hell, I don't even want to look after you! I am not your babysitter and I am not your father!" he realized too late that he was shouting. Rory looked at him tears in her doe eyes. He moved uncomfortably and opened his mouth to apologize, but Rory stuffed her things back to her bag and ran out of the diner before he could. He felt disapproval eyes on him, kicked the counter and yelled Caesar he'd be gone for a while. He needed to be alone for a while.

#####

It took less than half an hour for Lorelai to show up. She came in like a hurricane and started shouting before Luke could even open his mouth to explain.

"How could you?"

"I had a bad day, okay?" Luke said. "Private problems. My g-"

"I don't care what happened in your private life!" she interrupted him. "You never, I repeat, _never_ , yell at my daughter!"

Luke crossed his arms. He knew he had done wrong but he didn't like anyone to point it out. Especially not Lorelai. He didn't know why it mattered so much what Lorelai thought of him, but he still didn't want her to think badly of him.

"You can't even imagine how I felt when she came at the Inn crying. I can't believe you did that! She's twelve! She's _Rory_!"

"I know, I just -"

"You know what? Don't bother. You don't need to see us ever again. I can promise that after what you said to Rory today, she'll never come in here again."

Lorelai swung the door open and marched outside. Before thinking, Luke ran after her.

"Lorelai!"

She turned over. Her cheeks were red and she looked to be near tears.

"What?" she snapped. "You want to rebuke me too? Tell me what a bad mother I am because I let my daughter to spend time at your Diner? Remind me that since I didn't stay home and marry Christopher, Rory is now doomed to have a life without any kind of hope to someday marry Price William or Bernard Arnaut? Well, no need for that, thank you!" she stopped shouting to breath. She hid her face into her hands and groaned, ran her fingers through her dark locks and looked at Luke with flames hitting from her eyes. "Goodbye Luke", she said and almost ran to her truck. Luke just stood there stupidly, feeling worse than he had felt that morning. He returned to the Diner and noticed his customers turning quickly back to their meals, but didn't care. He didn't care if they talked behind his back. It was better that they knew that they shouldn't mention Rory or Lorelai to him any time soon.


	6. Locked Doors and Apologizes

**A/N:** Hello, my wonderful readers, and thank you so so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! Keep them coming and I'll keep writing. I'm so happy that you like this!

I once again want to thank my ever so faithful Beta **GMWJavaJunkie**!

Here we go! Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** Not mine.

 **Locked Doors and Apologizes**

"Mac and cheese."

"Noodles."

"Omelettes."

"Pancakes."

"Ooh, pancakes! Could we have pancakes?" Rory asked.

"With chocolate chips?" Lorelai suggested.

"Double chocolate chips!" Rory shouted.

"I like the way you think, kid", Lorelai smiled. If there was something that double chocolate chip pancakes couldn't fix, she didn't want to know what it was.

She opened the closet door and rised to her tiptoes to see to the upper shelves. "Do we have the pancake mix?" Lorelai asked.

"Did you bought more when we ran out on Sunday?" Rory replied.

"No." Lorelai answered.

"Then we don't have it." Rory said.

Lorelai closed the door and sat down. "No pancakes, then."

Not having pancakes when you felt like having them was one of the worst kind of feelings. If there was something worse, it was not having coffee when she needed coffee.

If the world would ever run out of coffee... What a terrible, terrible thought! But right now she did have coffee, so the lack of pancakes was the problem.

"Do you think Weston's have pancakes?" Lorelai asked hopefully.

Rory shook her head. "I've asked."

Of course she had. Rory had been in a serious need of pancakes every other day ever since Thanksgiving and all that had happened the following day with Luke. She was pretty sure that Rory had got used to have pancakes every time she went to Luke's to eat after school.

"When?" Lorelai asked her daughter.

"Three weeks ago. I walked past Luke's and I smelled pancakes, so I went straight into Weston's and asked. Fran said they only make pastries and cakes."

"But they are pan _cakes_ ", Lorelai said, emphatising the last syllable.

"I know. I told her that."

They stared at the table and both knew there was a solution to their problem, but neither of them wanted to go there. Rory, who had forgiven her birthfather for so many times for breaking her heart by failing her, had not done so to Luke, who had done so just once. That made Lorelai even angrier at him; if Rory, who had the biggest heart of humankind, hadn't forgiven him, it only meant he meant more to her than she had ever excepted. And by betraying Rory's trust, Luke had aldo betrayed the gossamer trust that had started to build between him and Lorelai.

She knew, however, that if she'd come up with the idea of going to Luke's to have the pancakes they both graved, Rory go with her. She was such a Ella of Frell that sometimes it scared Lorelai. Maybe it was because she had done everything in her power to not to be obedient

"You shouldn't have made Sookie the head chef", Rory said. "Then she wouldn't be too busy to make us pancakes."

"I know, I know. That was a mistake." Lorelai said

#####

It was Thursday Town Meeting night and Luke was there because Taylor had said there'd be something important that included all the buisness owners of the town. That something had turned out to be Valentine's Day decorations.

Luke sat on the middle row, arms folded on his chest, and felt like throwing Taylor at something heavy. He watched Kirk dressed as a paperheart. Mary and Martha, the twins that owned a handicraftshop, gave everyone coupons to their store.

The subject changed when Malcom and Sean started arguing about the same woman, who, as everyone knew, wouldn't take either of them. When the argument turned into a fist fight, Luke shifted, ready to stand up and pull the guys off each other.

"Gentlemen, you can't fight here!" Taylor shouted, banging his mallet againt the platform.

"Yeah, this is the war room!" came cheerful voice from the back of the room. Luke's head snapped around.

Lorelai had stood up and looked dashing in her pink blouse and jeans. Her dark curls were pushed back with a pink headband and her eyes were sparkling like there was absolutely no worries in her life what so ever. A silence followed her voice. Then Miss Patty started to laugh. Luke found it very hard to turn away from watching Lorelai, who sat back down.

It had been almost three months since Lorelai had told him she and Rory wouldn't come to the diner anymore. And she had kept her word. Sometimes Luke saw the Gilmore girls walking past the diner, chatting and laughing, and he wished they'd come inside. Now that they didn't visit him, he felt like the only sane person coming in was the Reverend Skinner. Not that he considered Lorelai to be sane in any scale. He knew it was ridiculous. His happiness wasn't depented on a woman showing up in the diner. He liked to be alone. But somehow his life felt that much emptier.

He was so chaught up in his own thougths that he missed Taylor calling off the meeting. And becaue of that he missed Lorelai, who was first ones to step out of Patty's dance studio.

#####

The next Saturday Luke was placing a plate before Kirk, when the diner door opened and Babette rushed in.

"Luke, thank god, Luke, you're here!" she panted.

"Babette!" he said with conserne. "What is it, has something happened!"

"It's Lorelai", Babette breathed.

Luke's stomach dropped and he paled. "What about Lorelai? Is she alright?"

"She's locked in her bathroom", Babette said, still trying to catch her breath.

"I went outside with Cinnamon and I heard her crying for help. She said, "the door is stuck and I ran here to get you."

Luke didn't know how to respond. He wasn't sure if Lorelai knew Babette came to ask his help. He wasn't sure if Lorelai wanted his help. But then again, why wouldn't he help? In his mind there was a very brief memory of a picture from one of Liz' storybooks, Rapunzel. But he wiped it away quickly. Lorelai was far from a damsel in distress.

"I'll get my toolbox." Luke said rushing back behind the curtain.

#####

"Lorelai, Sugar, I found Luke", Babette called through the door.

There was a moment of silence, during which Luke looked around in the room. It was a mess. There were clothes on the bed and some on the floor, laundry was drying next to the mirror table. He noticed the window was ajar and the cold winter air blew in. There was a puddle of water on the floor where it had snowed in.

"Didn't you find Tom?" came Lorelai's respond.

Luke sighed and went closer to the door. "Listen, Lorelai, I know I'm not your favorite person right now."

Lorelai snorted from behind the door.

"So if you want, I can leave and you can stay there and wait for Tom to arrive. But I'm afraid that might take a while, because he's on a holiday right now."

Lorelai remained quiet for a bit before answering, "Fine, you can help."

"I'm flattered", Luke said drily.

Babette was hoovering near the door. "Honey, is it alright if I leave? Morey and I have plans."

"Sure, Babette", Lorelai's voice carried throught the door. "Thank you."

Babette left. Luke kneeled to see the lock.

"So, what happened?" he asked.

"Well, I was in a shower and when I was ready I tried the door. It didn't open so I thought that maybe I locked it by accident. So I turned the key and tried it again and noticed that this time it really was locked. I turned the key again but the key cut in the middle", she stopped to take a breath. "So now there's half a key inside the lock and half the key in my hand and it's getting a bit cold in here. I was thinking about climbing down from the window but there's no tree I could use. So I screamed from the window until Babette heard me."

When there was a pause long enough for Luke to be sure that Lorelai wasn't going to continue, he spoke up. "So, where's Rory?"

"At Lane's", she answered. Then, after a small pause, "Are you Jack Walshing the lock?"

Luke, who had no idea what she meant, took out a screwdriver.

"I'm going to have to screw the whole handle off so I can open the door", he said.

"Okay." Lorelai answered

He started working in silence. He heard Lorelai tapping something with her fingers. He sighed. "Look, Lorelai. I'm sorry."

There was no answer, but the tapping stopped. He took the first screw off and put it in the toolbox. Still no answer.

He cleared his throat. "I shouldn't have said what I said to Rory."

"Yeah, you shouldn't." Lorelai countered.

"I'm sorry", he repeated.

Lorelai sighed. "It's Rory you should apologize to."

"I know. But I wanted to say it to you too. Because..." Because of what? Because he cared what Lorelai thought of him? Because he missed her in the Diner? Because every since she had stepped into the diner eight months ago he had thought more of her than he had ever thought of any woman before? "Because you're her mother."

Lorelai didn't respond for what felt like forever.

"Thank you." She said eventually.

#####

"Alright", he said when he was done. "Now you only need a new lock and handle to put in place", he pushed the door ajar, but Lorelai stopped it.

"Would you mind leaving the room?" She asked

"Why?" Luke asked

"Because I wasn't exactly hanging in the shower with my clothes on." Lorelai stated.

"Oh, right, yeah", he felt hi cheeks heat up as he tried not to think about Lorelai in a shower. With or without clothes.

Luke backed off and left the room, went downstairs and after hesitating a minute, left the house. He lifted the toolbox on the back of his truck and sat in the car.

He had just started the engine when he heard Lorelai calling after him. He turned to watch the woman running down the porch stairs. Her hair was in damp curls on her shoulders, she was wearing jeans, flip-flops and a T-shirt with a picture of Snoopy on it, and she was pulling on a coat.

"Wait a sec", she said as she stopped next to his truck and pulled the coat thighter around her to keep herself warm. "I needed to say thanks." She said winded.

"Nah, it wasn't a problem", he shrugged.

"Still. Thank you. And sorry", she said

"Nothing to be sorry about", he said

"I meant what I said back in November."

There was a silence, during which Lorelai was chewing her lower lip and Luke felt irresistible desire to kiss her. And that would be a bad idea.

"I deserved that", he said to change the subject.

Lorelai tilted her head and pulled the coat again. "Friends?"

He smiled. "Friends. Now go inside and put on some socks before you get phneumonia", he nodded towards her bare toes.

She looked at them too. "Oh. That's why I'm so cold."

"And close that window in your bedroom", he added as Lorelai turned to go inside.

"It doesn't close." She said

"Then get somebody to fix it!" Luke grumbled

She only smiled and watched Luke drive off.

#####

It was the next Monday when Luke saw Rory. She was sitting in the gazebo under a heavylooking blanket, reading. He filled a to-go cup with hot chocolate and brought it out to her.

"Hey", he said.

Rory looked up from her book. "Oh. Hi, Luke." She seemed a bit hesitant and looked around her like seeking a place where to run if needed. The thought about Rory being a sligthest bit scared of him made Luke feel terrible. He tried to lighten up the mood.

"What're you reading?" Luke asked.

Rory lifted the book to show him. "Animal farm."

Okay, there was nothing he could really say about that book. He cleared his throat. "You want your drink?" he handed her the cup.

She looked at it apprehensively.

"I haven't poisoned it or anything, if that's what you're thinking." Luke said stepping closer to her.

Rory smiled a bit. "No. I'm just not sure what my Mom would say."

"We've talked." Luke said.

"Did she yell at you?" Rory asked.

"No. I mean she did back then, but I think I deserved it."

Rory opened her mouth but Luke shook his head.

"I did", he said firmly. "And I should apologize to you. So I'm sorry what I said then."

Rory's smile was a bit more honest this time. "It's okay", she took a sip of her cup. "Ugh, there's too much cocoa."

"It's the same amount as always", he pointed out.

"Yeah, I know. I'm using it less these days," she said

He lifted an eyebrow.

Rory chuckled.

"Okay. I'll make you another one. With less cocoa. Now come on before you freeze."


	7. Water Bottles and One Gorgeous Woman

**A/N:** Hello everyone and thank you so much for your reviews, follows and favorites! They make my day every time, so keep them coming!

Once again, and this time for the last time, a big hand to my Beta **GMWJavaJunkie** , who has a real life (imagine what that would be like) and is because of that unable to help me for now on.

 **Disclaimer:** As much as I enjoy playing with the characters, that's all I'm doing. Playing. So they're not mine.

 **Water bottles and One Gorgeous Woman**

"I hate these giant water jugs", Lorelai grumbled.

"I think this rolls pretty well", Rory said as she gave the bottle a firm push and it rolled couple yards forward.

"It's not the rolling, it's the lifting. I'm not Karyn Marshall."

"I don't think you need to be Karyn Marshall to pick it up."

Lorelai stopped pushing the jug and turned to look at her daughter. "Have you tried to pick this up?"

"No"

"There you have it then."

"Let's just ask Morey, he's done it before", Rory said.

"He's not home. He and Babette left to go snorkelling two days ago."

"Babette went snorkelling?"

"Yeah. She said she's never done it and what better time than the present. If I'd live with 'what's better time than the present mentality, I'd have nothing done."

"You do live that way mommy," Rory pointed out.

Lorelai smirked. "Oh, darling daughter of mine, there's a lot I have not done because there's a mini me in my life", she said and sat on the stairs, sighing. "So, any other ideas for someone with enough physical strength to lift up the water jug?"

Rory shrugged. "Luke."

Oh, right, Lorelai thought. Why hadn't I come up with that? Luke could lift the water jug. She could just call him... No, go to the diner and ask if he had time to come and help her with something. The sooner the better. Today. Right now.

#####

"Hey, Burger Boy!" Lorelai shouted as she and Rory stepped through the doors of the diner. Behind the counter though was only Caesar, who looked up and blushed slightly.

"Hey, Lorelai", he greeted. "Rory", he added as he noticed the other Gilmore.

"Is the man behind the curtain?" Lorelai quipped.

"What? Oh, you mean Luke. Yeah. I mean no."

"Which is it?"

"He's in the storage."

Lorelai thanked him and went straight to the storage. She knew that Caesar wouldn't stop her. He seemed to lose words when Lorelai was around. Cute little boy. He was so lucky that Luke had picked him up after he had finished his school.

Luke, however, wasn't so happy to find Lorelai stepping into the storage.

"Out", he said the moment he saw her.

"But I -"

"Out."

"I'm not even touching anything."

"Keep walking", he said and steered her out of the back room.

"Why are being so secretive? You have a Fabergé Eggs in there?"

Luke frowned at her as he shooed her to the diner. "The insurance company doesn't pay anything that happens to you in the storage", he scowled at Caesar, who quickly escaped to the kitchen. "So, coffee?"

"Yes, please, and a pair of strong arms."

Luke took two cups, poured coffee into one and mixed Rory's drink. "Where do you need strong arms?"

"Oh, you know, lifting me heroically to the horseback before galloping to the sunset with me", Lorelai said and batted her eyelashes.

When she was acting like that, there was no way to communicate with her. So Luke turned to Rory, who smiled at his eye-roll.

"We need someone to change the water jug", she said.

"Oh, okay, I can do that."

"Yeah?" Lorelai asked, getting more serious now that she had had her coffee.

"Sure. Tonight?"

"Tonight?" Lorelai was surprised. She wasn't expecting him to come so soon. "Er. Sure. Tonight. At six?"

#####

Luke rang the doorbell. But after he heard a few yelps behind the door he swung it open. Lorelai stood on the other side. She flashed a glorious smile when she saw Luke.

"Hey, Luke! Good, you're here! You're a man, right?"

She stepped aside to let Luke in.

"Last time I checked", he answered

"Tell me, what do you, as a man, think of this outfit?"

She was wearing a night blue dress with a few sparkles like stars in the sky. The dress left her knees uncovered and it had spaghetti straps. She was also wearing black shoes with about three inches heels and her hair was in loose curls. Luke tensed his jaw.

"Hm", he said and turned his eyes away before he'd say or, worse, do something he hadn't thought through.

"Hm?" she repeated, eyebrows up. "Rory!" she shouted over her shoulder, making Luke jump. "Luke said 'hm'!"

"It's Luke!" Rory shouted, "What were you expecting?"

"Good point!" Lorelai shouted back like Luke wasn't there at all. Then she turned back to him and flashed her brightest smile.

"So", she said. "What does 'hm' mean?"

"Lorelai..."

"I'm serious! Was it a good or a bad 'hm'? Was it like 'hm, could be worse' or like 'hm, couldn't care less'? Just please don't tell me that it's 'I don't know what to say without hurting her feelings so I'll just say 'hm''."

"I don't recall you calling me here to ask me how you look", Luke said drily to change the subject.

"No, I called you to change the water jug. Were dying of thirst in here", she flipped her hair and Luke's stomach did a somersault. He walked past her to the kitchen and Lorelai followed him.

"So, the 'hm'? Because I still have half an hour time to change if this dress is worth just a 'hm'."

"Lorelai, do you really need someone to tell you that you look gorgeous? Because I really don't think you need any boosting up. You could wear... I don't know, my clothes, and everyone would still turn to look after you. Why do you need me to tell you?"

Lorelai looked at him a bit surprised of the volume his words came out with, but also of the words themselves.

"You think I'm gorgeous?"

"I'm not going to say it again."

"You think I'm gorgeous", Lorelai repeated, tease in her voice. "Rory! Luke thinks I'm gorgeous!"

"I heard!" Rory answered. "And I think Babette heard it as well!"

"Oh, gees", Luke muttered.

The doorbell rang. Lorelai jumped.

"He's early!" she said. "Damn those men, they never learn that when I say six thirty, what I really mean is six forty-five the earliest!" while speaking, she grabbed Luke by arm and pulled him after her. He had just enough time to close the tap before Lorelai lead him into Rory's door, opened it, pushed him in and closed the door. Luke, too stunned to react, watched as Rory tiptoed to the door and opened it couple of inches. Both of them listened as Lorelai walked to the door and opened it.

"Heey", she said cheerfully. "Is it six thirty already?"

"I'm actually a bit early", a low voice said. "Are you ready?"

"Mostly", Lorelai said. "Just give me a minute."

She approached the kitchen and Rory pushed the door almost close, but pressed her ear against the door. Luke raised his eyebrows but said nothing.

"Rory", Lorelai whispered. "Rory, I know you're listening."

Looking guilty, Rory opened the door.

Lorelai smiled at her and then looked at Luke. "Sorry, I thought I had time to help you with the jug."

Luke, who thought that there was no way Lorelai had had any plans of helping him, especially looking like that, only shrugged.

"I can manage on my own."

"Rory can help you."

"I don't need help."

"She can hand you stuff."

"Isn't your date waiting for you?" Luke asked roughly. Lorelai looked at him for a good five seconds like she didn't know what he was talking about. Then her eyes grew larger.

"Oh!"

As she rushed back to the door, Rory turned and rushed across the room and leaned as close to the window as she could. Not really knowing why, Luke followed her and looked as Lorelai, now having a light jacket over her shoulders, walked to the car with a tall and blond man. The man opened her the door.

"Are you -?" Luke started, but Rory shushed at him. They watched as the car drove off. Then Rory turned from the window and sat back at the table. Luke cleared his throat and Rory turned to look at him.

"Are you spying on your mother?" he asked.

"No", Rory said.

"Looked like it."

"In spying there's an assumption that the target doesn't know they're being watched."

Luke shook his head before leaving Rory in her room and going to do his task.

#####

After changing the water bottle Luke washed his hands and noticed that the door of the closet under the sink didn't close completely. He kneeled to watch the hinges and noticed one of the screws was a bit loose. He stood and went to collect his toolbox from the truck, saw the wall coat rack was on the floor, leaning against the wall. He thought that he could put it on the wall while he was there. It was a small job, it wouldn't take more than five, ten minutes. So he took his toolbox and knocked on Rory's door.

"Do you have an extension cord?" he asked.

"Sure", Rory said, jumped down from her chair and went to the closet next to the stairs. She opened it. The first thing Luke noticed was that it was almost empty. It was probably because the girls had lived in the house for such a short time that they hadn't had time to collect unnecessary things to their closets. But the lack of stuff was a painful reminder to Luke about the financial situation of Gilmores. While Rory looked for the extension cord, Luke looked around the closet. He noticed the small marks on the side of the closet. He leaned closer. They were Rory's height in different ages, starting from one year and four months and ending in twelve years.

"How do you have these things in here?" he couldn't help asking. "You've lived here less than a year."

"Mom wrote them down before we moved, so she could move them in here. She said it'd make the house more homey."

Luke could only appreciate the imagination of Lorelai. Who else would do something like that?

"Where do you need the cord?" Rory asked suddenly. "I don't think lifting a water bottle needs anything more than muscles."

"I thought to put that coat rack on the wall."

Rory looked from the rack to Luke and bit her lower lip. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

Then again, it was a stupid question.

"I think mom would ask if she needed help", Rory shrugged. "At least you shouldn't do it without asking her first."

"Okay", Luke agreed. "I won't put the rack there today." But another day he would.

Rory smiled. "You want something to drink?" she asked.

"Sure."

Rory went to the fridge and opened it. "Hmm. We have orange juice", she picked up the carton and shook it. "Oh, no. We don't", she put the apparently empty carton back to the fridge. "Milk? No, there's just enough for coffee tomorrow", she opened the freezer. "Ooh, we have ice-cream! I wonder what's wrong with it", she looked at the package with a frown.

Luke, who felt uncomfortable after seeing how empty their fridge looked, spoke up. "How about water", he said. "I know you have water, I just changed the water bottle."

Rory closed the fridge door and looked a bit ashamed. "I would've wanted to offer you something better."

"Water's fine", Luke said.

"We do have coffee", Rory remembered.

"I don't drink coffee."

Rory looked surprised. Then she laughed a bit. "Don't let Mom know that."

#####

Luke had used more time to think about the Gilmore situation than what was healthy. The house was practically falling apart. And since Lorelai was stubbornly independent and would never ask for help, Luke needed a plan to help them anyway.

When Rory came in the following Monday, Luke gave her her drink and bent closer.

"When's your mother's birthday?"


	8. Mashed Potatoes and Oven Mitts

**A/N:** Hello readers! Thank you so much for your follows, favorites and comments! Keep them coming, they are the best parts of my day! You are amazing!

Please, let me introduce you to me new Beta **Cegahkk7**! Let our journey with this story be prosperous!

 **Disclamier** : Nothing belongs to me.

 **Mashed Potatoes and Oven Mitts**

After staying awake most of the night by Rory's bed, Lorelai was exhausted. She had drank four cups of coffee, and then two more, before she was in a condition to go and buy something to eat.

"What would you like to have for dinner?" she asked while taping oven mitts to Rory's hands.

"You can have anything you want. Your pick."

Rory considered for a while. Her wonderful list-maker, who didn't make a decision before she had gone through all the possibilities.

"Mashed potatoes," she then said.

"Come again?" Lorelai said bewildered. She hadn't eaten mashed potatoes in a lifetime, since she was a toddler and Lorelai couldn't afford to buy anything more expensive or complicated.

"Mashed potatoes," Rory repeated. "I have a craving for mashed potatoes."

"Of all the foods in all the supermarkets in all the world and you want mashed potatoes?"

Rory smiled. "Good one."

"Thank you."

#####

Lorelai found the box she was looking for and picked it up, turned it around and read the directions on how to cook it.

"Hey," came a voice and she startled. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

Lorelai turned and smiled at Luke.

"It's okay," she said. "I was just looking for mashed potatoes," she shook the box. "Found it," she smiled. "What're you doing here?"

"That's what you call mashed potatoes?" Luke asked instead of answering.

"Yeah? What's wrong with it?"

Luke leaned a bit closer. "Do you know what mashed potatoes are made of?" he asked.

Ooh, fun! Lorelai was immediately intrigued with the game. She, too, leaned closer. "No, what?"

"Potatoes," Luke said surreptitiously.

"No!"

"Yep."

"That is so wicked!"

"Isn't it."

They smiled at each other. Then Lorelai turned to look at the box. "Hey! This has 87% potatoes in it!"

"Yeah. Dried potatoes," Luke pointed out.

"What's wrong with dried potatoes?"

Luke only rolled his eyes. "Why do you need mashed potatoes in the first place? I don't think I have ever seen you eat potatoes in any other form than deep fried."

She was slightly amused by the observation Luke had made.

"It's for Rory," she explained. "She has chicken pox and I said she could eat anything she wants, even indian, but she wanted -"

"Mashed potatoes," Luke ended and nodded. He grabbed the box from Lorelai's hand and put it back on the shelve. "I don't care what you stuff into that mouth of yours, but you are not feeding Rory instant mashed potatoes," he answered to Lorelai's loud protest.

"But she wants mashed potatoes and those are the only kind of mashed potatoes I can make."

"I'll make her mashed potatoes."

Lorelai felt something warm pour into her stomach. It was a familiar feeling she had whenever Luke did something like this for Rory. She tried very much not to smile too much.

"You will, huh?" she followed Luke as he went to collect the ingredients to the dish. "Luke", she said quickly. "You really don't have to do that. We have eaten instant mashed potatoes for years."

"But it's not too late to save Rory from whatever that stuff has done to you."

"Hey!"

#####

"Rory! I'm home!" Lorelai threw her purse next to the phone on the small table.

"Did you bring mashed potatoes?"

"No," Lorelai answered. "I brought someone to cook them."

Luke stepped into the living room and smiled at Rory, who was sitting on the couch with three cushions behind her back and oven mitts taped to her hands. Lorelai walked over to her to check if she had a fever.

"Oh, hi Luke," Rory said.

"Why do you have oven mitts on your hands?" Luke asked puzzled.

"So she can grow up as pretty as her mummy," Lorelai answered and patted her daughter's cheek.

"Okay", Luke said. He found it easier not to ask if Lorelai said something that he didn't quite get. She used to talk a lot, and mostly it didn't make any sense. So he carried the groceries into the kitchen and started preparing the meal. He could hear muffled voices coming from the living room, where the girls had started chatting. He wondered if they were talking about him, but shook the idea quickly away. What would they have to say about him? As far as he knew, Lorelai was dating that blond guy. He hadn't asked his name, he didn't want to know. He hated himself for hoping that it wouldn't work between them.

"Can I help?"

Luke almost poured the water over himself by surprise.

"Nah, there's not much to do until the water boils. I just need to peel the potatoes."

"Don't give her a knife!" Rory shouted. "Or anything else with what she can stab or cut herself!"

"She's kidding," Lorelai said quickly. "Rory, tell Luke you're kidding!"

"I'm not kidding! Last time you tried to peel a carrot you almost cut your finger off!" Rory answered. "You had three stitches!"

"That was four years ago!"

"Don't give her a knife!"

Lorelai shot a glare towards the living room. "You go on like that and I take the oven mittens away! You can look like Seal for the rest of your life!"

Both Lorelai and Luke waited for Rory to answer.

"Fine! You can cut off your fingers and look like Lee van Cleef for the rest of your life!"

Luke found it best to listen to Rory.

#####

All three of them sat on the sofa, Rory in the middle, and watched Misery. Somehow Lorelai had remembered a conversation from the beginning of their friendship, and wanted to make sure that Luke would see the movie in question. Rory watched it behind her oven mitts. Luke couldn't blame her. He wanted to cover his eyes at certain parts as well.

"How can you let Rory to watch this?" he asked.

"Shush," the girls said in union. Luke raised his hands to surrender.

#####

Rory had fallen asleep on the sofa and Luke carried her to her bed. She curled into a ball and scratched her side, but Luke moved the hand away gently. Lorelai pulled the blanket over her and stroked her hair.

"I wish she had had chicken pox when she was younger. It's easier then", she sighed. "But there wasn't many kids for her to play with before she got to kindergarten, and then everyone had had it already."

"Didn't you have chickenpox dates? Isn't that a thing?"

Lorelai smiled and closed Rory's door behind her. "Well, as I found out, not many parents were eager to let their bundles of joy spend their time with a girl who had grown up in a bucket."

Luke frowned. "In a bucket?"

"How else was I to keep her from running away from me in a hardware store?"

Luke found it best not to answer.

"Beer?" Lorelai offered.

"Sure, why not."

Lorelai took two bottles from the fridge and they sat at the kitchen table. Luke noticed how tired Lorelai looked. She was probably the best mother he knew.

"How old were you when you had Rory?" he asked and regretted it immediately. He knew Lorelai must've been very young, and that was enough.

"Sixteen," Lorelai answered and tilted her head. "Are you gonna judge me?"

"What? No."

Lorelai lifted her eyebrows.

"My sister had a kid when she was seventeen", Luke told her. He didn't like to tell that story, he wasn't exactly proud of his sister's life choices.

"Really?"

"Yeah, she got married at sixteen, got pregnant, had a baby and then a divorce", he shrugged and tried not to show how much he disapproved every single one of those decisions Liz had made.

"So no, I'm not judging you. Besides, if you hadn't got pregnant, you wouldn't have Rory."

"No, I wouldn't."

"And you wouldn't have moved here."

Lorelai smiled and he wondered if she knew what he was thinking. Hopefully not. He cleared his throat.

"I should probably go."

"Okay," Lorelai said. "Thanks."

Luke shrugged. "It's nothing. It was for Rory."

"For Rory. Yeah," Lorelai smiled. "You know, it means a lot to me too. That you care for Rory."

Luke felt his heart starting to race. Lorelai looked so beautiful, so fresh and shining and that smile she had, the gleam in her eyes... It was just a simple question. Why was it so hard?  
The phone started to ring startling the both of them.

"Life's short, talk fast," was the message in the voicemail.

"Hey, Lorelai, it's Mark. I was hoping you'd be home. I wondered if you got my message about today -"

"You should probably get that," Luke said leaning back in his chair.

"Yeah," Lorelai said. She stood and went to the phone.

"Hey, Mark."

Luke tried to look at something else than Lorelai's back.

"Yeah, I got your message. Did you get mine?" she played with the phone cord. "I said that I couldn't make it." Her posture changed, just a little bit; she pulled her shoulder's back and lifted her chin. "Twelve," she said with much colder voice than Luke had ever heard her talk with. And that included the freeze out she had given him. "You know, I should go to bed," she suddenly said. Luke guessed she had interrupted the man in the other side of the line. "I had a long -. Yes, because of Rory! I couldn't -. You know, I'm really tired. Night, Mark."

She hung up the phone and stood still for a full minute before turning to Luke. She was smiling, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Luke stood.

"I should go," he said again. "Let you go to bed. You look exhausted."

"Yeah, I should go and make sure Rory doesn't scratch herself while sleeping", she answered.

Luke took a couple of steps towards the door, then stopped.

"You know, if he doesn't get that Rory's the most important person in your life, then maybe he's not your guy," he said before he'd get too scared to say it.

Smile grew slowly in her face. "Yeah?"

He nodded. "She's your child. No one will ever be as important to you. And they're fools if they think otherwise." He went to open the door.

"Luke," Lorelai called after him. He turned. It looked like she had tears in her eyes, but she smiled. "Thank you."


	9. What Parents Do

**A/N:** Hello readers and sorry for the long pause! I've had a lot of Marauders feelings lately, so I've been surfing those dream waves instead of these ones. Anyway, thank you for the comments, favorites and follows and again, keep them coming! I'd love to know what you think so I know what and how to write in the future!

Thank you also belongs my Beta **Cegahkk7**!

 **Disclaimer:** The usual.

 **What Parents Do**

It was Friday night and Lorelai and Rory were having dinner at Luke's. They were sitting by the counter and chatting joyfully. Luke was too busy with his other customers to stop and listen to them, but he noticed that Rory curled her hair and was wearing a skirt. Luke didn't think the girls were going anywhere particular, as Lorelai was in jeans. Not that she wouldn't look good in jeans. He tried not to think that. But when the clock hit half till seven, Rory stood.

"Have a nice time," Lorelai called after her. "Be home by ten and remember what happened to Regina Morrow."

"Yeah, bye!" Rory ran to the door.

"You forgot the kiss!" Lorelai called after her. Rory stopped, turned around and blew her one. Lorelai reached to her right and almost dropped from the chair as she closed her fingers around the imaginary kiss. "Next time aim better!"

"Where's Rory going?" Luke asked before he could stop himself.

"There's a school disco tonight," Lorelai answered.

Luke leaned against the counter and they watched as Rory ran cross the street and towards the school.

"A school disco, huh," he mused. "I remember those days."

"Oh, tell me more," Lorelai said eagerly and leaned a bit closer. It was far too rarely that Luke told her anything about his past.

"Sure you know what's it like. The music's too loud, the kids are in sugar high, someone breaks an arm and someone cries as their crush is dancing with someone else. Sure you had the same."

"You'd be surprised. We never had anything that could be called as a disco in my school. If we had something with dancing and music, it was more like Ginger Rogers and less like Ren McCormack," and, since Luke didn't seem to quite get what she was saying, she added, "They like it all waltz and feather fan there," she took a long sip of her coffee. "Would've loved a disco though. I had to climb down from my bedroom window to get into one. It was all booze and fags in those. I had to wash my hair twice in the morning so Mom wouldn't know I've been smoking."

Luke hummed. "With me it was more like getting my sister to put the fag down."

"Did she?" she asked.

"Most of the times."

For a moment Lorelai waited Luke to tell more about the woman in question, but he didn't. That man was a tough act to work with.

"I gave up on that life the moment I found out I was pregnant."

"Good choice," Luke said. "Wish you'd given up the coffee as well."

She laughed. "I'll never give up coffee."

#####

About half an hour before Luke was about to close, the door swung open and Rory rushed in. She was crying, and Luke immediately panicked. He left the plate he was carrying on the nearest table and went to Rory, who was just standing there and sobbing.

"Hey," he said but didn't really know what to say next. "What happened?"

Rory shook her head so that her curls swung. Luke looked around in hope for a help, but the only customers he had were a middle aged couple and Kirk, who was looking at his plate on the wrong table longingly.

"Come on," he said. "I'll take you upstairs and call your mom."  
Rory followed him meekly, tears still running down her cheeks. Luke's heart was stammering. He couldn't help but imagine what had happened, every scenario more horrible than the other. When he got Rory into his apartment and comfortable on the sofa, he sat on the table to face her.

"Rory, please tell me what happened," he said. "Do I need to call the police?"

Rory looked up and looked surprised through her tears.

"No," she managed to say. "Just... no."

"What, then?" Luke said. "I would hate to call your mom and tell her that you're in here crying and refusing to tell me what happened. She'd be scared to death."

Rory wallowed and wiped her eyes to her sleeve. Luke stood and fetched her a paper towel roll.

"It's just... there was this boy," she sniffed, ripped a paper and sneezed. "And he said I'm weird a-and that I'm a bastard and he'd never touch me e-even if he... He said... and everyone h-heard and", she took a shaky breath and burst into tears again. Luke didn't know what to say. Rory was the brightest and sweetest kid he knew, even if he didn't know a lot of kids, and anyone saying anything even remotely bad about her went immediately into his black book. So this guy... He found himself more angry than he had ever been before.

"Who was he?" he asked. "I need to have a word with him."

"No!" Rory said scared. "No, I don't want him to know that I told anyone."

She wiped her eyes almost agressively, but new tears poured down. Luke sighed.

"You want to call your mom?"

She shook her head again. "Could I just stay here a minute?"

"Yeah, sure", Luke said. "If you want something just tell me, okay?"

"Okay."

Luke left. He hesitated in the stairs for a moment. He knew that he should call Lorelai. She needed to know, but he didn't know if Rory wanted her mother to know what had happened. If the boy had really called Rory a bastard, a wave of anger flushed over him again, it would hurt Lorelai as well. He stepped to the diner and went to the phone. It rang for a while before Lorelai answered.

"Hey, it's Luke," he said. "Just thought you'd like to know that Rory's here."

"What?" she sounded bewildered. "Why?"

"She... hmm, she got tired and came here. I can take her home after I close up."

"Wait," Lorelai said before Luke could hang up. "Has something happened?"

Luke glanced up at the roof like he'd be able to see through it and see what Rory was doing and thinking.

"Kind of", he said.

"What?" Lorelai asked again. "Luke, what happened to my daughter?" she said slowly when Luke didn't answer.

"She's a bit shaken. It's fine, I can take care of it," he then thought that maybe he shouldn't have said that. After all, Rory wasn't his daughter and taking care of things that considered her wasn't his business. The silence on the other side of the line seemed to say the same.

"Thanks, Luke, but I think I'll come there anyway," Lorelai said.

#####

It took less than ten minutes, and Lorelai stepped in. She was dressed in a pyjama pants, a t-shirt and slippers. When she stepped in, Rory ran through the veil and to her mother's arms.

"Oh, honey," Lorelai said gently. "Rory, hey, it's alright."

Rory snuggled to her chest and cried. Lorelai looked at Luke her eyes wide. "What happened?" she asked, and it was meant more to Luke than to Rory.

"Uh," he said and thought what was the best way to tell her. "Some boy was mean to her."

"A boy?" Lorelai asked. She touched Rory's hair and tried to turn her face up so she could see her.

"What boy? What did he say to you?"

Rory shook her head. "Doesn't matter," she muttered.

Lorelai turned to Luke again. "Did she tell you."

Luke stared at his hands. He didn't want to tell Lorelai any more then Rory did, but he knew she wouldn't give up before he would. "Something about her ancestry."

Lorelai's eyes widened. A deep blush raised to her cheeks. She seemed speechless.

"I'm sorry," Rory sobbed.

"It's not your fault," Lorelai said shakily. "You have no reason to cry. He does, at least once I'm done with him."

"I'll join you," Luke offered.

A smile flashed on Lorelai's face. "Good. Let's give him a lesson he'll never forget."

Fifteen minutes later the girls were drinking coffee and eating doughnuts. Luke had no idea how they were able to sleep with all that caffeine in their veins, and how they were so thin when all they ate was junk food, as Luke thought they did. But right now it didn't matter, because Rory had stopped crying. She smiled and even laughed when she listened to Luke and Lorelai plan how to give the guy a lesson, every plan more horrible than the other.

#####

Lorelai had heard enough mocking when she had been a kid. She'd never forget when a boy she liked had called her a bastard. No one would do that to her daughter without getting punished. So she found out what classes the guy had and marched the next Monday to the boys locker room.

"Cover your treasures, boys!"

There came loud yelping as a group of teenaged boys started to pull towels in front of them.

"Miss Gilmore!" coach Franklin said loudly. "You can't be here!"

"Oh, you just watch me!" she marched across the room.

"It's Rory's mom," someone whispered.

"Real milf," answered a lanky brown haired boy.

If Lorelai hadn't had more important task to do, she'd probably had a talk with that kid, too.

"Okay, which one of you is Caleb?" she asked.

Most of the boys turned to took at a short-ish, redhead with freckles on his nose. He looked more like a nerd than a bully.

Lorelai crossed her arms over her chest. "Huh," she breathed. The boy was nothing she had expected.

"Shouldn't judge a book by its cover."

"What?" Caleb answered defiantly.

"Did you call my daughter names on Friday?" she asked. "And just to remind you, I know the answer already, so don't try to lie."

Caleb went red. "I was just kidding."

"Was she laughing?"

Everyone was silent, even the coach. Caleb stared at his feet. "Uh," he said.

"What was that?"

"I guess not," he muttered.

"So you weren't kidding, now were you?"

Caleb swallowed. He shook his head.

"That's what I thought," Lorelai said. "I think you own her an apology, don't you?"

"Yeah," Caleb muttered.

"Good," Lorelai nodded. "You better do it today. And never say anything like that to her again, okay? Next time I won't be this gentle," she turned and left. The boys, who had gathered around them, made way to her with respect.

#####

It was after the lunch rush when Luke saw him. Caleb was familiar to him from the kid's softball team. Now that he came to think of it, he had never liked him. He left the counter and went outside.

"Hey, you!" he called. Caleb glanced behind his shoulder and froze as Luke leaped to him.

"You say another word to Rory and you have me to answer to," Luke said.

Caleb paled and stepped back. "What?"

"You heard me. I care about that kid, and you hurt her," Luke continued.

Caleb looked speechless. Luke started to feel a bit ashamed. What was he doing, talking to a strange kid like this? He knew what, but it didn't seem to be good enough an answer. Damn, he liked Rory way too much. He was a bit scared of how much he liked Rory. He had never cared anyone as much as he cared about that girl. Not Rachel, not Jess, not Liz, heck, not even Lorelai.

"Okay then," he said, trying to end the very awkward situation he had started. "Are we clear?"

"Yeah," Caleb said.

"Good," they stared at each other for a moment. Then Luke turned and marched back into the diner.

#####

Lorelai and Rory were walking towards the diner that evening. They saw Caleb coming their way, stop and then cross the road quickly. Luke saw it from the window and stopped in the middle of his task. He saw Rory ask her mother something, who tried to look as innocent as a guilty party could. When they stepped in, he could hear that they were talking about Caleb.

"- admit it!" Rory exclaimed.

"I admit no such thing!" Lorelai answered. "I am the most innocent, darling, wonderful mother on this planet! How can you doubt me?"

"Well, first of all, all those superlatives you use..."

"Hah!"

"What's going on?" Luke asked when he took their cups to their table.

"Mom said something to Caleb," Rory told.

"You too, huh?" Luke slipped.

Both Rory and Lorelai turned to look at him. "Huh?"

"I've got job to do", Luke said quickly. He got to the counter, when Lorelai reached him.

"What did you say to Caleb?"

"I told him not to talk to Rory again."

"When?"

"Today after lunch."

There was a ghost of a smile on Lorelai's face. "Why?" she asked.

Luke shrugged. "He needs to know that he can't say things like that to Rory."

"To anyone, actually," Lorelai said. "I heard that as well, when I was a kid."

Luke looked at her surprised. "Who did it?" he asked. "I'll have a word with him too."

Lorelai laughed. "Thanks, Luke. You're really great, you know."

"I do my best."


	10. Babysitter and Scrabble

**A/N:** Hello readers! Thank you so much for your comments, follows and favorites! They really make my day! I hope you'll keep them coming, so I know what you think :)

Thank you again for me Beta **Cegahkk7** , who so patiently reads my chapters through and corrects my mistakes!

 **Disclamier:** I owe nothing.

 **Babysitter and Scrabble**

It was one of those days that Rory was being edgy. It was probably because Lorelai had a date that night; she was always a bit edgy when Lorelai met a man she liked enough to go out with. They went to Luke's to have breakfast and Rory started speaking with Luke in a light and cheerful way.

"I read the horoscope page from the magazine today," she said, and Lorelai knew that this was going to be a catastrophe. She wanted to silence her daughter, but couldn't think up anything to say. How unusual. How scary!

"Did you know that a Taurus makes a perfect couple with a Scorpio?" Rory asked.

Oh no, this was bad. This was really bad. Worse than she had thought. Lorelai looked at Luke and tried sent him a telepathic message not to answer.

"No, I didn't," Luke answered.  
Lorelai gave up on Luke and tried the same with Rory.

"Well, now you know," she smiled. "My mum's a Taurus," she added as an afterthought.

"Okay!" Lorelai said loudly and laid her menu down. "I'll take blueberry pancakes and eggs and bacon. Oh, and coffee."

"Coming right up," he said and left.

Lorelai turned to Rory. "What was that about?"

"What?" Rory asked innocently.

"You being all Matchmaker Michelle."

Rory blushed slightly. "I just thought you'd be great with Luke."

Lorelai sighed. She had feared this day for over a year now. Rory spent so much time at Luke's that she had grown to love Luke way more than Lorelai would've preferred. Sure, he was a great guy and seemed to be fond of Rory, but it didn't mean she and Luke... She hadn't given it one thought, because it was just ridiculous. She and Luke were from completely different worlds, still were.

"Honey..." she began and tried to think of a way to explain adult relationships to her pre-teen daughter. "Look, when you grow up you'll understand that you can't build a relationship over a cup of coffee."

"But he likes you."

Lorelai made a small laugh. "I know that he likes you, Rory, but it's a bit much to say that he likes me. Besides, there's the man with a tie."

"But I don't like the man with a tie," Rory protested.

"How do you know that, you haven't even met him!"

"Exactly. You've been going out for three weeks now and you still haven't let me see him. Surely that means that you're not serious."

"Rory..."

Luke came to bring their breakfast and Lorelai fell silent. Suddenly she felt very uncomfortable.

"Everything okay here?" Luke asked, looking from girl to girl.

"Fine. Great. Superb."

"Mum has a date tonight," Rory slipped.

"Rory!" Lorelai snapped. "It's nothing to do with Luke!"

Rory shrugged. "Too late."

Lorelai looked at Luke and shrugged her other shoulder. "Sorry."

"Nah, it's nothing," he waved it off. "Have a nice date," he added, put their plates down and left.

"See?" Lorelai said gesturing towards the kitchen that hid Luke. "He doesn't like me."

#####

That night, about the time Lorelai was supposed to get ready for her date, problems appeared. Rory was meant to go to Lane's that night but apparently she got caught eating fries and was grounded. Sookie was out of town in some cooking course, and Babette and Morey had a date night. So Rory was out of babysitter. It wasn't like she needed one, Lorelai thought, but Taylor might cause trouble if he'd find out Rory was home alone. And he always found out things like that. Kirk probably spied everyone and reported to Taylor, and Lorelai didn't have time to bribe him to switch sides this once.

"I guess I have to cancel," she sighed. "We could have a movie night. We could rent all the Jaws' and watch them getting worse and worse."

But she was disappointed, there was no denying that. She had looked forward to this date. She hadn't had one since she broke up with Mark a few months back, and this guy had a child of his own, so her having one wouldn't be a problem.

"Don't cancel it," Rory said suddenly. She had probably read her mother's disappointment from her face.

"I thought you didn't want me to go," Lorelai pointed out.

"I didn't. But maybe I should give him the benefit of doubt."

Lorelai smiled. "That's great, honey, but we still have the same problem. Where to put you? I can't leave you unsupervised. You might end up all Kevin McCallister."

Rory shrugged. "I'll go to Luke's."

Lorelai's smile faded a bit. "I'm not sure if that's good idea," she sighed. "He's not your babysitter."

"I wouldn't be a trouble."

"I know that, but Luke has a business to run. I'm sure he doesn't want to look after a kid while he's working."

Rory closed her book and looked at her mother carefully. "I thought you wanted to go out with the man with a tie."

"Yes, but -"

"Then let's ask Luke."

#####

"I owe you," Lorelai said when she and Rory stepped into the diner. "How much do you charge for an hour?"

"It's fine," Luke said. "She can go up to read and call me if she needs anything."

"I'll be back by eleven at the latest," Lorelai promised.

"We'll be fine," Rory said. "I brought Scrabble," she lifted the game.

"See? She brought Scrabble," said Luke, who hadn't played Scrabble since he was ten.

Lorelai smiled weakly. "Thank you so much, Luke," and she left.

Luke sighed. He had no idea how this had happened. He had never thought that he'd end up watching after Rory when Lorelai went on a date. He had taken far too long to reassure himself that he didn't care that Lorelai was going on a date, and then this happened.

"You want something to eat?" he asked Rory, who had climbed to sit on a stool and looked longingly at the muffins.

"Can I have a muffin?"

"Sure. What kind?"

"Blueberry."

Luke gave her a blueberry muffin and went to take an order.

#####

It was ten o'clock and Luke closed the diner. He went upstairs and found Rory opening the lift of Scrabble and smiling at him.

"Could we play?" she asked sweetly.

Luke, who would've rather said no, taken a beer and sat down for a moment, nodded. "Sure. But I'm not very good."

Rory gave him the letters, took her own and stared at them in silence.

"Who's this guy your mom's dating?" Luke heard himself asking. What was wrong with him?

Rory shrugged. "Don't know his name. He's stayed at the Inn several times, and Mom says he always wears a tie."

"So you haven't met him?"

She shook her head. "I'll start," she announced, picked four letters and placed them on the board.

' _Step_ '

Luke checked his letters. He noticed he could double his points, if he'd add three letters after Rory's word. But writing ' _stepdad_ ' felt really ironic. He cleared his throat.

"Does your Mom like him?"

He had no idea what made him ask this question. It had nothing to do with him if Lorelai liked this man. It had nothing to do with him if this man would become Rory's stepfather. He shouldn't really care about that.

"Guess so," Rory answered. "It's your turn."

Luke returned to his letters. He could write ' _ass_ ', but that didn't feel any more appropriate. He sighed, picked up the letters and wrote ' _stepdad_ '. If Rory saw the irony, she didn't say anything. She added two ' _l_ 's under the ' _a_ '.

They played in silence for a while.

"I've never met any of Mom's boyfriends," Rory said suddenly. "I guess I just have to trust Mom that whoever she picks won't be a Jerry Blake."

"Who's Jerry Blake?"

"A stepfather who killed his family and went to look for another," Rory said casually. When she noticed Luke's horrified face, she laughed a bit. "A movie character."

Luke laughed a bit nervously. Rory created the word ' _stupid_ ' and Luke felt that the game knew way too well how he was feeling.

They played a moment in silence. Luke tried to think something to say, but he had absolutely no idea what pre-teen girls liked. When he wrote ' _corn_ ' and Rory added ' _uni_ ' in front of it, he asked, casually, if she liked unicorns.

"Sure", Rory said smiling a bit. "Doesn't everyone? I mean, maybe not boys," she added hastily, "but girls. Mom likes everything pink and sparkly, especially if they are horses with magical powers."

Luke made a mental mark that Rory liked unicorns so he'd know what to buy her for birthday this year.

"What about you?" she asked.

"What about me?"

"What do you like? Cars? Boats? Motorcycles?"

Luke chuckled. "I don't know. I like -" for a moment he was about to say 'beer' but changed his mind, "my diner."

Rory nodded. "I like your diner too."

#####

About ten minutes after the game was over, Rory winning by fifty-five points, Luke took her downstairs to have something to eat. He never ate this late, because he couldn't sleep with a full stomach, but Rory seemed to disagree. She even asked for coffee, but Luke refused to make her some.

The car pulled on the side of the road and Lorelai climbed out. She waved at someone, and that someone drove off. Luke went to open the door for her.

"Hi!" she said cheerfully. "How was your night? Got along well with my ankle biter?"

Rory jumped down and went to her mother, still chewing the piece of pie Luke had given her. "I won Scrabble."

"What? Really? You, my little walking dictionary?"

"Luke did pretty well," Rory admitted. "He managed to create the word ' _puzzled_ ' with three other words."

"Impressive!" Lorelai exclaimed and grinned at Luke.

He felt the heath rising up his neck. Lorelai's smile was just... it was just...

"Did you have a nice date?" Rory asked interrupting Luke's cheesy thoughts. Oh, yeah, this woman had just been on a date with another man, and she didn't look like it had been a disaster.

"It was fine. We went to see Men in Black, because he was really excited about it and I didn't have a heart to tell him that I've already seen it."

"Twice," Rory reminded.

"And after that he took me to eat. Lobster, for some reason. But I did have ice-cream afterwards."

"Anything is saved by ice-cream," Rory nodded.

Lorelai turned to Luke. "Hey, Rory was eating something when I came in. What do I owe you?"

"Nothing," Luke said quickly and without thinking.

"If she ate something from the menu, I do owe you something", Lorelai insisted.  
She was a stubborn woman in that way. She never let him give her anything on the house. So Luke gave up, told her what Rory had eaten and added the payment to the register. If Lorelai wanted to pay, he couldn't refuse from taking the money.

"Good night Luke. And thank you."

"Night."

"Can we play Scrabble again?" Rory asked eagerly from the door.

"Sure," Luke nodded.

Rory smiled brightly. Her smile could light up a room as well, Luke thought as he locked up the door. Those Gilmore girls had changed his life in so many ways, but all was for the better. His life was better now that they were in it. A slight bolt of fear hit him when he thought that he might lose them both if Lorelai ever decided to get married.


	11. Avoiding and Frozen Beans

**A/N:** Hello my wonderful, lovely readers! I am so, so sorry that this has taken so long. I've been a bit under the weather and busy and, frankly, quite lazy. Plus I had a crazy idea about another story, and that has been eating alot of my time because there isn't such a thing as too many stories (kidding, yes there is). But anyway, here's the next chapter!

Thank you again for all your comments, favorites and follows! Keep them coming, it's great to hear what you think!

And thank you again to my Beta **Cegahkk7**! She's great!

 **Disclaimer:** Well, you know...

 **Avoiding and Frozen Beans**

Lorelai and Sookie walked into Luke's before going to work. They had taken a long morning. The two women had had dates, both of them disastrous. Sookie had just finished telling Lorelai how her date had practically run away after Sookie accidentally poured half of his soup in his lap. Her wonderful, clumsy best friend. What would she do without her? Not laugh this much, that's for sure.

"How are things with Billy?" Sookie asked as they took a seat.

Lorelai grunted.

"That bad, huh?"

Lorelai thought less than a second, maybe because she had been thinking about this most of the night, when she wasn't craving something deep fried and cheesy.

"I mean, there's nothing wrong with him except he takes me to seafood restaurants all the time."

"What's wrong with seafood restaurants?" Sookie huffed, because everything that offended food in any way offended Sookie.

Luke came to them. "What can I get you?" he asked with his eyes on his notepad. He had developed a strange habit of not looking Lorelai in the eye for the past couple of weeks. "Other than coffee", he added as Lorelai opened her mouth.

"Pancakes!" Lorelai blurted out. "And eggs and bacon. A lot of cheese. I don't care in what form."

"Sookie?" Luke asked and, as strange as it was to Lorelai, looked at her ginger friend. What was up with him?

"The same."

"Coming right up." He left.

Lorelai glared after him for a moment. Had she said something stupid to offend him? Men were so strange. Then she shook it off.

"I would like to eat at least once in a place where my food doesn't stare back at me with its beady, little eyes", she continued her talk with Sookie, as if they hadn't been interrupted.

"Lobster again, huh?" Sookie asked with compassion.

"Yes! I don't understand what it is with him and lobster! He says that he rarely eats it, but I feel like we eat it every time we meet!" she took a deep breath to begin an explanation of her catastrophic date the night before. "So we went to this restaurant where he said are the best lobsters in town-"

"Oh, Chowder Pot!" Sookie exclaimed.

"Um, no."

"Piolin!"

"No."

"Okay, okay, I know it. It was-"

"Anyway," Lorelai continued in hope that Sookie might end up guessing the restaurant she herself didn't remember the name of. "We went there and I thought, fine, I'll just order something other than lobster, but noooo! He insisted on ordering for me."

"Oh no."

"So there I was, trying to eat that stupid lobster once again. I just don't understand why people make food where more than half of it is inedible. So when I tried to crack the crab open, a piece of it flew across the table and-"

"Oh no," Sookie said again. "Really?"

"Yeah," Lorelai sighed and shook her head. "He said it was fine, but I can only imagine how he felt when we had to call an ambulance to check his eye."

"So you're not seeing him again?"

"At least I won't step into a seafood restaurant with him ever again," Lorelai sighed. "Rory's happy though. She never liked him."

"I thought she never even met him."

"She didn't. But she's kinda paired me up with someone else."

Right then, like to answer the question that Lorelai saw forming in Sookie's lips, Luke came to lay the plates in front of them. He was clearly avoiding her gaze again, even though she tried to catch his eye.

"Thanks, Luke," she said warmly.

"Just doing my job," was his grunted answer. And he left.

She turned to look at Sookie, who seemed to figure out who Rory tried to get her Mom to date.

"Really?" she asked. "Luke?"

"Yeah, she thinks the world of him. I think she'd want to have him as a dad."

They both turned to look at the man behind the counter.

"I've known Luke for years," Sookie said. "We went to school together. He's not exactly a dad-type."

"I know."

"I wish you'll find a man who likes both you and Rory and who the both of you like," Sookie said dreamily. "And I hope I find a man who likes me."

Lorelai wasn't exactly listening. She thought about what Sookie said about Luke not being a dad-type. It wasn't a surprise, but it still worried her. Rory spent way too much time in the diner, and even though Luke said she wasn't any trouble, she wondered what would happen if he'd find her to be trouble. He might snap at Rory again. She'd kill him if he did. Rory worshipped that guy, even though she didn't really understand why. He was usually distant, in a bad mood and not exactly the chattiest man in town.

Lorelai turned to look at Sookie. "What's going on with him?"

"With who?" asked Sookie, who had been speaking about her dream guy for a moment now.

"With Luke," Lorelai whispered loudly. "He won't even look at me. I mean, sure, he's always been a bit like Holden Caulfield, but he used to be a bit more... normal."

Sookie glanced at Luke, who turned his eyes quickly away. She saw something that Lorelai didn't, and smiled.

#####

Luke found it best not to have any contact with Lorelai. She was taken and he avoided her for his own good, because talking to her (just looking at her, really) reminded him of what he lost. Whenever she was in the diner, which turned out to be too often for his liking, he kept telling himself how different they were. She was outspoken, vivid, sparkly, gorgeous and confident, whereas he wanted to stay behind the crowd and not to talk to anyone if he didn't have to.  
Lorelai, however, didn't seem to think the same way. She popped up to the counter to pay.

"Can I have a coffee to go?"

He couldn't help but look up. There was a radiant smile on her face, which made it almost impossible to look away.

"You just had two cups," he said and hoped that she'd go away. Of course she didn't.

"I know, I counted," Lorelai said sweetly. "And now I'd like to have a third one."

"You drink way too much coffee," Luke sighed as he took a paper cup and filled it.

"I drink coffee just as much as I need, thank you very much."

"You're a caffeine addict," Luke said as he put the lid on the cup. "The more you drink, the more you want. You'll end up having five or six cups a day if you keep going like this."

"In a good day, sure," Lorelai hummed as she tasted her drink. "On bad ones it's more like eight. There was this one day I had ten cups. Woah, that was a roller coaster. Or more like just going down in it, very fast and very long. With a few loops here and there," she smiled at Luke's expression. "Did a lot that day," she mused. "It was back during my first few weeks at the Inn. Had to wake up early in the morning, and Rory was just learning how to speak, so she kept babbling all night. I made through the day mostly because of coffee."

"So your relations with coffee go way back."

"Oh, way, way back," Lorelai nodded. "It's the best drink in the world. But I really have to go now. I'll see you tonight, though, it's payday, and we want burgers."

And she left and Luke found himself back where he had started.

#####

Rory was the one arriving first.

"Hey, Luke!" she greeted.

"Hey, Rory," Luke glimpsed at the door. "Where's your mom?"

"Oh. Taylor had something to say to her," Rory said gleefully and sat down.

"Oh yeah?" Luke went to the window to check if everything was fine. When things included Taylor, they often ended up badly.  
Lorelai came in before he even found Taylor's greying hair in the street.

"Hey!" she exclaimed as she almost collided with Luke. "Are you trying to block me from entering?"

"What did Taylor want?"

"Oh. Some town elders have a meeting and he wanted to know if they could have dinner at the Inn. I think they're planning who will take the gavel to Mordor."

"Does that make Taylor Frodo or Gollum?" Rory asked.

"Very good question," Lorelai said. "Harry's been holding the gavel in every big event, but Taylor's doing the job in the small ones. I don't think that either of them wants to give it up. But since it originally belonged to Harry..."

"Then Taylor's Frodo."

For a moment the girls looked at each other. Then Lorelai grimaced. "Well, at least he isn't Aragorn. I'd hate if the real-world Aragorn would be balding."

Then came the small pause that allowed Luke to ask what they wanted.

"Burger and fries," came the obvious answer. He wondered if there would be a time he didn't need to ask. He wasn't sure if he hoped there would.

"And to drink?"

Lorelai tilted her head. "Really, Danes? You need to ask?"

"Lorelai, you drank three cups in the morning alone."

"Yes, but after that I've only had three more."

"That makes six cups," Luke said. "I'm not going to be the one who gives you the seventh."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him. He stared back.

"I'm really good at staring competitions, you know," Lorelai said with her eyes wide open. "You don't stand a chance."

"It's true," Rory said. "It's like Garfield and the goldfish, scary."

"Fine," Luke grunted.

"Yes! I win! Coffee for everyone!"

Luke glimpsed at Rory. "How are you so normal when she is your mother?"

"Hey!"

######

The next morning Rory and Lorelai came in, and Rory headed to the counter. She looked a bit stressed.

"Do you have a bag of beans?" she asked.

"Beans? I've never seen you eat beans."

"They're not for me, they're for Mom."

Luke was about to point out that he doubted Lorelai would eat them either, when Rory continued.

"Not to eat, of course. Frozen beans in a bag."

It sounded like she had hurt herself, so Luke immediately looked up to Lorelai, who was holding something wrapped in a towel on her left eye.

"She took an ice cream box," Rory told him. "But it's not the same thing."

He didn't listen, but rounded the counter and went to Lorelai.

"What happened?" he asked.

She looked up at him and moved the ice cream box aside. There was a fresh bruise on her eye. "I got hit by a door," she pouted.

A raw, scary rage filled Luke. He clenched his fists. "I'm going to kill that door."

"Oh, yes, please do," Lorelai sighed. "It's the one leading to the terrace. I was going in, innocent little me, when the door SWUNG open and hit me on the eye!"

"I said I was sorry," Rory complained.

Luke hadn't noticed she had come to the table. He had been so focused on Lorelai and the fact that she had gotten hurt. It took him a moment to realize what the girl said.

"You should've knocked!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"While I was coming out of the house?"

"Yeah. That should be rule number one. Always knock before stepping out of the door."

His heart started to settle down. So nothing bad had happened. Nothing like he had first thought of. He let the air out of his lungs with a long and slow blow.

"Earth to Luke, can you hear me?" Lorelai asked loudly.

"Huh? Yeah. Sorry. What can I get you?"

"Do you have blueberry pancakes?" Rory asked eagerly.

"No, but I can make some," Luke answered before thinking. Since when had he done something that wasn't on today's breakfast menu?

"I need beans!" Lorelai said. "And a bowl. Not for the beans, but for the ice cream. I need to eat it before it's ruined."


	12. Birthday and Deathday

**A/N:** Okay, I know there's been a long pause, but this year and I don't really get along that well. Also, I'm trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. Any ideas? :D

Anyway, here's the next chapter, which really didn't want to be written. I hope you like it! Tell me what you think :)

Thank you once again for your reviews, likes and follows!

And thank you my amazing Beta **Cegahkk7**! I wouldn't be able to do this without her!

 **Disclaimer:** The usual

 **Birthday and Deathday**

"Rory's birthday is tomorrow," Lorelai said.

"Yeah, I remember."

"And I'm worried. She's going to be a teenager. I've never worked with a teenage girl before. What if she becomes that character on the Harry Enfield show? Or worse, what if she turns out like me? What if she starts running around the city with boys and booze -"

"I don't think -" Luke began.

"What if she climbs out of her bedroom window?" Lorelai continued, ingoring Luke. "Not that she'd need to climb down. Should I switch rooms with her? Then she'd had to at least climb down. I needed to climb down when I was a teenager."

"Rory doesn't climb down from anywhere."

"I know she doesn't. That's the worst part, what if she tries to climb down and fails and falls and breaks her leg? What if she breaks her back and can't walk anymore and it's all my fault because I made her move to the second floor?" she breathed in and then sighed. "She's growing up so fast," Lorelai added quietly.

"Yeah, I know," Luke said softly.

Lorelai looked up like a puppy asking for a treat. What did she need Rory for, when she could do that face on her own? Without another word he filled a cup with coffee and took a doughnut from under the dome. "Here."

"Luke!"

The joy in that one word was payment enough. Luke wished she would always say his name like that. He found himself smiling stupidly and cleared his throat.

"You looked like you needed that," he said.

"And you were right!" Lorelai said with the same high and happy voice. "You are so great. I should really put you on my list of good friends."

#####

He hated shopping. Things like clothes he could handle. You just pick up a pile of shirts from the sale. But gifts? To a teenage girl? He picked up a stuffed bunny and put it back down immediately. No. His eyes met a unicorn marionette. Rory had said something about unicorns. Who wouldn't like unicorns, wasn't that what she had said? He moved the marionette a bit. That should do. He wanted out of this place.

#####

Lorelai wished she could stop the time. It was four a.m when she snuck into Rory's room, and watched her sleeping daughter who would turn thirteen in a few minutes. She wiped tears from her eyes. Her beautiful, wonderful, perfect daughter. She'd never let anything bad happen to her. If anyone would ever hurt her, she would hunt them down and kill them with her bare hands. She bent to touch Rory's cheek, who startled and opened her eyes.

"Is it time?" she mumbled and closed her eyes again.

"Yeah."

"Are you going to do this every year?"

"Yeah."

Rory made room for her and she snuggled next to her, took her hand in hers and started to tell her the same story she knew by heart.

#####

"Hey, welcome and here's your sunglasses," Lorelai said cheerfully as Luke entered. He was too astonished to refuse them.

The house was full and there was a life sized paper doll standing on the living room table carrying quantum physics books with a hole in her forehead. Luke stared at it.

"She was clearly up to something," Lorelai said seriously as she followed Luke's gaze.

She seemed to wait for some kind of a reaction, so Luke nodded and said, "Mhm." Then he noticed Rory, who was wearing her sunglasses and hopped towards him. Lane followed her and she, too, was wearing sunglasses. What was the thing with the sunglasses? He didn't know and wasn't sure if he even cared to know.

"Hey, Luke!" she said gleefully. "You have to put your sunglasses on."

To make both Rory and Lorelai forget the stupid sunglasses, he quickly handed the present to Rory.

"Here you go. Happy birthday."

"Thank you!" Rory opened the paper eagerly and out popped the marionette. She, Lorelai and Lane stared at it for a few seconds.

"Oh! Thanks Luke!" Rory smiled at him. "This is really nice! I've never had a marionette before!"

"Yeah, that is really groovy!" Lorelai said, took the marionette from Rory and made it dance a bit. "Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea," she sang with a low, sad tone. "But then came the purple unicorn as happy as can be!" she made the unicorn jump on Luke's shoulder. He really wasn't sure if she was mocking him or not. She most likely was.

Rory snatched the unicorn back from her mother. "It really is great, Luke. Thank you," she hugged him with one arm and he patted her awkwardly on the back.

Lane looked speechless as she followed Rory to her room.

#####

"How does it feel?" Sookie asked when Lorelai went to the kitchen.

"I'm waiting for the Freaky Friday -moment," she sighed.

"Barbara Harris or Shelley Long?"

"How can you even ask?"

"So Barbara?"

Lorelai picked up a cream puff and stuffed it into her mouth. Rory appeared into the kitchen, sunglasses on her forehead, carrying a pile of CDs.

"Which one should I put on next?" she asked.

Lorelai flicked through her selection. If there was one thing she was proud of, it was her taste in music. And in movies. Well, she was pretty proud of her taste in just about everything. Except in men. She had terrible taste in men.

"Ooh, Pink Fairies!" she got excited. "I loved them when I was a kid."

"Really?" Sookie asked.

"Yeah, sure. But more like the Kings of Oblivion -fairies."

Rory left to put the CD on.

"So, no Christopher this year either?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai shook her head. "No, but this time he said it straight away. He's in California. Seems like the sun and warmth mean more than his daughter turning thirteen."

She couldn't help but sound a bit bitter. It wasn't her who was hurt for Chris not coming, she had gotten used to it. Mostly, that is. Because somehow he still managed to cause misery when he didn't show up.

"I'm sure it's not that," Sookie said. Lorelai smiled sadly. It wasn't her who needed to be convinced that her father loved her. That Christopher loved Rory, that is. She knew he did love her, he only had trouble showing it time to time.

#####

Luke had just come home and was only in the diner to go upstairs when someone knocked at the door. Normally he would've just ignored it, but it was the 30th of November and he wasn't really thinking clearly. Lorelai was peeking in with her hands shadowing her face. He went to open the door. Maybe he just needed something else to think about, there was no other reason for him to do that. The second the door was open Lorelai dashed in.

"I have a serious need of coffee," she said.

She was wearing a black dress, her hair was up and she looked like she had been up for day. Luke felt about the same.

"Something happened?"

"Nothing particular. Mom's birthday dinner was today, nice way to ruin the day of rest by the way, and at the door Mom handed me a shovel. I didn't even think, I took it and started to dig my own grave. And boy did I dig! I even volunteered to step in and laid down before Mom gave me the sweetest smile and started throwing dirt on me," she laughed bitterly. "Don't you just wish there weren't any stupid holidays or birthdays so you didn't have to see your parents?"

"I would do anything they'd ask me to do if that'd bring them back from the dead," Luke said before he could stop himself. It really had to be because of what day it was.

Lorelai's lips parted. "Oh, crap. Luke, I'm so sorry."

"You didn't know," Luke waved it off. Lorelai looked at him seriously.

"Still, I should think before I talk," she turned to look at the door. "Is that why there's the hardware store sign outside? Was William your father?"

He looked at the door as well. "Yeah," he muttered. "Taylor's been telling me to take it down for ages. He thinks it confuses people."

There was a pause. Lorelai smiled and that made her look a little bit less tired.

"Don't take it down."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I think it's sweet. It's like a memorial for your dad."

He couldn't even name everything he was feeling right then. The worst day of the year felt like the best one for a very brief moment.

"Thanks," he managed to say.

She tilted her head and shrugged the other shoulder. "What are friends for?"

They stared at each other for a moment. Then Luke cleared his throat.

"Coffee," he said and turned to the coffeemaker. "I can make you some, but it'll take a minute."


	13. Apple Tarts and Christmas Presents

**A/N:** Hello readers! It's been a while, hasn't it? I started a new job (in a library, woo!) which is nothing like my education (which is a gardener) so that's eaten a lot of my energy. Anyway, here's the next chapter, because what is a better time to publish a Christmas chapter than end of Summer? Nothing, I say, nothing!

Also, thank you all your comments and favorites, you're just the best, keep them coming!

Also also, thanks once again for me wonderful Beta **Cegahkk7**!

 **Disclaimer:** The usual.

 **Apple Tarts and Christmas Presents**

It was snowing, and that was about the best thing that had happened all day. It was two weeks before Christmas, and Lorelai had spend yet another five hours in a nightmare called the Gilmore House. One might say that nothing can be that bad as long as you get presents. She might have said that once or twice to Rory when she didn't like something. True, bribing wasn't the best way to handle children, but Rory rarely misbehaved, and she was so easy to calm down with a present, namely a book. But even presents couldn't make up spending hours in open fire, especially when the present was something like a Chinese flower vase she now had in her truck. Rory, who was the easiest person to shop for, looked baffled as she was holding a flowery lamp on her lap. And then there was, of course, the fact that she needed to give a present to her parents, but that was a disaster of its own. On the other hand, Lorelai knew that it didn't matter what she gave to her parents, they'd never like it anyway. So she was pretty sure that the moment she had left, Emily would throw away the paperweight she had bought for them. Now she just wanted to go home and watch Batman and Robin.

"Can you stop?" Rory interrupted her dreams about popcorn and Chris O'Donnell.

"Why?" she asked as she pulled over.

"I want to give my Christmas present to Luke."

Lorelai stared. "You have a Christmas present for Luke? Whatever for?"

"Because he's our friend."  
There was this small pause during which Lorelai wondered whether she considered Luke as her friend, but she pushed it away, because it was way too big of a thought to think after the day she had had.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing special, it's just a cookbook," Rory said. She pulled a wrapped package from her back bag and showed it to her, as if Lorelai could see through the paper.

"That's nice," she said. She wasn't sure what she thought about Rory spending the little pocket money she had to buy presents for Luke.

"I hope he likes it."

"I'm sure he'll love it," Lorelai assured her. "It's from you."

Rory jumped out of the truck and ran to Luke's. For a moment Lorelai thought she might just wait, but then she thought about the night she had had, and then she thought about Luke's coffee, and then she thought how well the coffee would go with the apple tarts she had brought with her. Then, even though she didn't want to, she thought about Rory calling Luke their friend, and she had to admit that she had a point. She stepped out of the truck and followed her daughter.

Luke wasn't a Christmas person. Actually, he didn't care that much about any celebrations or festivities. He had received Christmas wishes all week, and if that wasn't enough, Taylor had come at least once a day for thirteen days to ask Luke to decorate the diner, and then ask him to help to decorate the town square. He hadn't done either of them, but watched while Lorelai and Rory had been decorating the tree Taylor had brought next to the gazebo, and almost considered joining them.  
But not once had he even thought he might need to buy a Christmas present for someone. Then Rory rushed in Luke's with snowflakes in her hair and handed him a carefully wrapped package.

"Merry Christmas!"

"It's not Christmas yet," he answered a bit too grumpily. Rory was beaming, she was somehow immune to Luke's rudeness. He guessed that with Lorelai, she was immune to pretty much anything life threw at her.

"Uh, I haven't got you a present yet," he said. He regretted saying it the moment it came out of his mouth, because now he needed to go and, once again, buy Rory a present. He hated shopping. Maybe he'd find something else with a unicorn theme.

"That's okay," Rory said. "It's like you said, it's not Christmas yet."

The door opened and a gloomy Lorelai came in.

"Hey, Luke," she greeted and sat down. Luke went to fetch some coffee before Lorelai could put up a scene. When she looked like that, she could get difficult, and Luke didn't feel like dealing with a difficult Lorelai today. But when he came to the table with two cups and coffee pot, there was something else on the table.

"What are those?" Luke asked, nodding towards the pastries Lorelai had placed on the table.

"Apple tarts."

"You can't bring your own food in here."

"Why not?"

"Because this is a diner. You want to eat in here, you order something."

"But these apple tarts are the best thing in life!" Lorelai exclaimed. "When there's at least three or five," she continued, singing in the note of 'Hush Little Baby.' "But if there is any less than that, you can eat your shoes or hat."  
Talking about Lorelai being difficult… Luke glimpsed at Rory, who shrugged.

"That's the third one from today, and quite frankly the best one."

"I thought the first one was pretty good, too," Lorelai mused.

"You sang 'I don't know if my parents have hearts, but at least they know how to make good tarts.'"

Lorelai looked slightly ashamed. "Yeah, well, that one was the one I made up before starting the car." Then she looked up at him with those great, blue eyes and even though there was a smile on her face, there wasn't one in her eyes. "Look, I had a really rough night and all I want is to have a cup of your coffee and a bite of these gorgeous things," she nodded towards the tarts, "and I'll be off."  
When Luke hesitated, Lorelai's smile grew a bit and there came the spark in her eyes. "I'll give you a kiss if you let us eat the tarts in here."

"What?" Luke blurted out, and to answer, Lorelai pulled out a bag of Hershey's kisses from her bag.  
Luke felt a strange combination of relief and disappointment to wash over him. "What exactly do you have in that bag?" he asked to mask her mixed emotions.

"Anything and everything I might need," Lorelai said. "Band aids, stockings, broken alarm clock, a plant, a lamp and a measuring tape."

"And kisses."

"Yeah, well, you never know when you might need a good kiss," she winked at him.

He did everything he could not to blush. "Here's your coffee," he said and poured it. "Now eat your pastries and go."

"There's the Christmas spirit I've been missing!"

Unicorns, Luke thought, were awful. He had never thought he'd end up actually hating unicorns. Actually, he had never thought of unicorns whatsoever. Why did girls like unicorns? He looked at the unicorn bed sheets he had bought Rory for Christmas. He had opened Rory's present the same day she had given it to him. Maybe it was cheating, but he wasn't exactly a Christmas person. And Rory didn't need to know, he'd thank her after Christmas. She clearly knew how to buy presents. He had only eyed the cookbook, but there were several great recipes, and he considered making some of them when he'd find the time. Stuffed tomatoes, perhaps. Or lamb and artichoke stew. Lorelai would love amaretto cookies. Not that he'd ever end up cooking them for her.

"I don't know if I should give this to Rory," Luke told Lorelai one evening. Rory was still outside talking with Lane, who still wasn't allowed to come inside.

"Why, what is it?"

Luke didn't want to say.

"Oh, it can't be worse than what she got from my parents," Lorelai laughed. "Come on, she'll love it. It's from you."

She was very aware that those were the exact words she had said Rory. She had come to admit that there was this weird little bond betweenthe two of them. One that Lorelai had wished would blossom between Rory and Christopher. She had wondered whether he'd show up, like he had thought to, even though she knew better. Chris would probably end up sending a card if he'd remember to do it on time. Last year the card had come a week after Christmas. Still, it was on Rory's wall. That kid forgave way too much.

The door opened and Rory came in. "Lane gave me this," she showed them a small package. "She said it's a present for both of us, so I'd guess it's a CD."

"Ooh!" Lorelai gasped. "Is it Smashing Pumpkins?"

"I think it's Celebrity Skin. She's been talking about it nonstop since September."

Rory climbed to sit next to Lorelai on the counter. Luke poured her coffee. They had trained him well, Lorelai thought. She smirked.

"Hey, Rory, Luke has something for you", she said.

Rory's already big grin grew even bigger as Luke, looking a bit ashamed of himself, gave her the present. "Oh, Luke, you didn't have to," she said.

"Yeah, yeah."

Lorelai noticed that he was shooting glimpses to the window and turned to look what was so interesting. Or embarrassing. Babette and Miss Patty were looking in, and when they noticed Lorelai was watching, they waved happily. Lorelai waved back. Luke grunted and disappeared into the kitchen.

"What's up with him?" Lorelai asked. She was feeling a bit amused. Babette had made it a habit to tell her that Luke knew how to fix things whenever she came to ask if Morey could help her with something. Miss Patty, on the other hand, kept pointing out how good Luke looked. Lorelai was pretty sure they said those things to everyone, but Luke seemed to get a bit embarrassed, and it was always fun.  
Rory was shaking the package. "What do you think it is?"

"A huge Atlas, probably", Lorelai jokes.

"That would be so cool!" Rory got excited. Then she shook the package again. "Although," she sighed. "I think this is too light to be a book."

"Good, you have too many books."

"There's no such thing as too many books," Rory huffed.

"I know honey, but you have no place to put them. All of them don't fit under your bed. You'd need a bookshelf."

"When I grow up, I'll have a whole room just for my books," Rory smiled dreamily. "They go all the way up to the roof and I'll have ladders that slide like in Beauty and the Beast."

Lorelai smiled. Her daughter could dream as big as she ever wanted, because if someone could make it, it was her.


	14. Magic Words and Traditions

**A/N:** I am so SO SORRY for the delay, but it's not completely my fault. See, my Beta hasn't replayed my messages for a while (and I hope everything's alright) so I tried to contact her first. But as it didn't work, I thought to publish this chapter without Beta (sorry about that also) and hope I'll find another Beta. So if you'd like to help me or know someone else who could find it nice to read a few pages every now and then, then please tell me :)

I would also like to thank you all for your reviews, likes and follows! I'm so happy to have them, so keep them coming!

Here's the next chapter, I hope you like it!

 **Disclaimer:** The usual.

 **Magic Words and Traditions**

Rory dropped her back bag on the floor and climbed to sit at the counter. Luke poured her coffee before she could even ask. He didn't like that she drank so much coffee, but he had learnt that even the sweet tempered Rory could turn really cranky if she didn't get her usual dose of caffeine.

"Hi, Luke", she grumbled, raised the cup to her lips, took three huge chugs and smiled blissfully. "Thanks."

"Are you having a bad day?""

The smile that the coffee had brought to her face faded a little. "It's not so bad", she lied. She made the same face Lorelai did when she was lying, where her eyes got a bit wider to make her look more innocent.

"What happened?" Luke asked.

"I got a B from my English essay", Rory confessed.

"Oh", Luke said. When it came to him, B was probably the best grade he had ever received. And had it been anyone else than Rory, he'd have told them they did great. But he knew that good grades were more important to Rory than anyone else he knew, and telling her B was great, would've been like telling Lorelai that they were out of coffee. He'd came up with another answer rather quickly. "I'm sure that essay was still great, though."

Well, maybe it wasn't the best answer, but thinking quickly wasn't on of his best features.

"It mustn't have been", Rory said miserably "School's the thing I'm supposed to be good at. Homework, writing, carrying books and anything related to that."

Luke gave her one of his rare smiles and, thinking that if it could drag out a smile from Lorelai when she was a mess it'd probably work on Rory too, he took a doughnut from under the dome and placed it in front of her.

"Who do you get that from?" he asked trying to change the subject and give Rory something else to think about than her grades. "Your Mom isn't exactly academic, is she?"

Rory, with her eyes on the doughnut, seemed to think for a while. "I don't know. I guess she has brains for it, but she had to leave school when I was born, so..." she took a sip of her coffee, still eyeing the doughnut like she wasn't sure if it really was meant to her. "My Dad is eager, but Mom says he doesn't have the patience."

Luke bit his lips together. He was still mad at that man for not showing up for Rory's birthday a year and a half ago. He had never thought he'd dislike someone even more than Taylor. And he hadn't even met Rory's father.

"Mom says I get it from my Grandpa", Rory mused.

Luke rarely heard neither Lorelai nor Rory talk about Lorelai's parents. Lorelai might have mentioned her mother once or twice, and Luke had gotten the idea that they were far from close. Her father, though... he wasn't sure if he'd heard either of the girls mention Mr. Gilmore even once.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, he's really smart and travels a lot. But we've never really talked, so I don't know."

They were silent for a while, during which Rory finally made up her mind and dig into her doughnut with the same enthusiasm as her mother would've.

"He went to Yale", Rory said between the bites. "Grandpa", she added as Luke looked blank.

"Ah", he said. "Are you going to Yale as well?"

"No", Rory smiled. "I'm going to Harvard."

"Oh, yeah. Right. I knew that."

Rory pushed the rest of the doughnut into her mouth at once, making Luke incredibly uncomfortable thinking that she might choke, until she swallowed heavily.

"Mom's birthday is in this month", Rory said when she liked her fingertips.

"Yeah, I remember", Luke said, thinking about the year before when he had offered to help Lorelai with the house. Fixing things and stuff. Like that bedroom window.

"It's Saturday", Rory said. "25th. It's her real birthday. For once it happens to be Saturday, so we can have the party at her real birthday."

"Right", Luke said, unsure about where this conversation was going.

"You should come", Rory said. "To the party, I mean."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I mean, half the town is coming, and I think that Mom wants you there more than many others."

Luke shifted. He wasn't sure if that was true, because he still didn't know where he and Lorelai stood as friends, or if she even considered them as friends. He didn't know if he considered her as a friend either, because, well, best not to go there.

"And just to let you know, she expects presents", Rory added as she jumped down and took her back bag. "Thanks for the doughnut!" She was outside before Luke could ask her what exactly could he buy to a woman like Lorelai.

#####

Luke placed the plate in front of Lorelai and she leaned closer to look at it. There was something very suspicious on her cheese sandwich.

"What are these red things in here?" she asked poking one of them with her fork. If Luke hadn't been sure Lorelai had seen the object in question before, he would've been unsure whether she was kidding or not.

"They're called tomatoes", Luke answered drily as he gave Rory her plate.

"And why are they here?"

"For you to eat."

"I don't eat tomatoes", Lorelai said immediately and pushed the plate further away.

"You eat ketchup. It's made of tomatoes."

Lorelai scowled at him. "Is that how you're trying to fool me to eat vegetables? Telling me they're solid ketchup?"

He stared back. "Call it what ever you want, you're gonna eat them."

"I don't eat ketchup on its own", Lorelai pointed out.

"That's why the tomatoes are on top of the sandwich."

Lorelai turned to Rory.

"Why isn't there tomatoes on your plate?"

"With pancakes?" Rory asked.

"Lets trade plates!" Lorelai suggested hopefully. "You're a growing child, you need vegetables."

"Actually, tomato is a fruit", Rory said gleefully and put a piece of pancake into her mouth.

"And how, may I ask, do you know this?" Lorelai asked.

Rory shrugged. "I read it somewhere."

"That's it. I used to look at you read and think that it's weird but, you know, kinda cool. But if you end up reading about the differences between vegetables and fruits, you're gone too far. For now on books are banned in Crap Shack! I don't want to see them, or smell them, or hear you turn pages! They clearly have bad influence on you."

Rory didn't seem to take her mother seriously as she kept eating her breakfast. She even reached for her back bag to take out a book. Lorelai gasped loudly and tried to steal the book from the girl, who whined and pulled it closer to her chest.

"Eat your solid ketchup!"

Luke hid a chuckle went he went into the kitchen.

####

As he came to give Lorelai her usual refill, Rory was stuffing her book back to her back bag.

"You want your refill to go?" he asked.

"No, thanks, Luke. Our teachers don't want us to bring drinks to the classroom."

"I think that's outrageous", Lorelai said. "I couldn't have gone trough a class without coffee while I was at school. Speaking of which", she turned to see Luke. "You can give me my refill."

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry", he filled her cup. "Listen, Lorelai", he began as Rory stood up. "I heard you have a birthday party next Saturday."

"Who rat me out?" Lorelai asked immediately. "Was it Sookie? I bet it was Sookie. This is so like her."

"No. It was... I heard it from Rory."

Lorelai shot a deadly glare to her daughter, who looked back with her doe eyes. She pushed her lover lip out and bat her eyelashes. Lorelai narrowed her eyes at her. Luke wondered how was it possible for even Lorelai not to melt in front of that look.

"Brutus!"

"Bye!" Rory said quickly and practically ran out of the door. Lorelai glared after her.

"I just thought to give you my present before the party", Luke said quickly.

"Ooh, a present!" Lorelai's face lit up. She didn't seem at all angry or offended for Rory telling about her party anymore. She really was one of a kind. "I like presents."

"Thought you would", Luke said.

"What's the present?" Lorelai asked eagerly. Then she got all serious. "Please tell me it's not toilet seat covers."

"No, I… Why would I give you toilet seat covers?" and as Lorelai opened her mouth to most likely a long and complicated answer that'd wake up more questions than give answers, he continued: "Never mind. I thought that it worked last year, so maybe I could come and help you with the repairs in your house this year as well."

Lorelai stared at him. "I don't know, Luke, it's such a huge job and I'd much rather have the toilet seat covers."

"Okay. What about Rory?"

Lorelai got suspicious. "What about Rory?"

"You want her to live in a house that could go crumbling down to her neck when she's sleeping?" He knew that if he'd say the right words and if he'd be able to come in and point every corner and door and roof pile that'd need fixing, Lorelai would end up letting him fix them. "It's a birthday present, Lorelai. You can't give it back", he added.

There came a somewhat amused smile on Lorelai's face. "Oh, don't I know that", she muttered.

"Besides, if I end up buying you something, it might be something like that marionette I gave to Rory."

At that she laughed. "Fine. You can come and see what to do. But if it's too much, I won't let you do it!"

She was the most stubborn person he had ever met. He wouldn't change a thing about her.

#####

A few days before her parties, Luke arrived at Lorelai's house and rang the bell.

"It's open!" came a call from inside. Luke pushed the door open and stepped in.

"You know, you really shouldn't keep your door unlocked. Anyone could walk in."

"You mean like tall, unshaven men with backwards baseball caps and irritating habit of making people eat vegetables? Or fruits, not that there's a difference."

Luke didn't answer and put the toolbox on the bench near the door.

"I thought we could take a look before starting", he suggested. "See everything that needs some fix up."

"Where's the package?"

"What?"

Lorelai tilted her head. "When you give someone a present, it's usually wrapped into a colorful paper and have strings and everything. Opening the package is the most fun part of having presents."

"What was I supposed to wrap up?" Luke asked in confusion. "My toolbox?"

"Ooh", there came a devious smile onto Lorelai's face. "Dirty!"

Luke felt his cheeks heat up. "You're impossible."

"I'm adorable", Lorelai corrected. "You just made it very easy."

"You steered me to say it."

"That I do admit", she grinned. "Well then, driller boy, where shall we begin our war against the house that is falling apart?"

#####

When Rory came home, the house was dusty. Luke was packing up his tools.

"Sorry, I'll be off in a minute", Luke said as Rory passed him in the doorway.

"How did you talk my Mom to do this?"

"I used the magic word", Luke answered.

"'Please?'" Rory guessed. "I don't think 'thank you' really works in here."

Luke smiled. "No. 'Rory'."

"That's my name", Rory said surprised.

"Yeah. And it works really well when it comes to your mother."

"Really?"

"I don't think that surprises you that much", Luke snorted. "You with your... your Rory-look."

"My what now?" Rory asked, amused. "Rory-look?"

"I know that look", said Lorelai, who had appeared into the kitchen doorway when neither Luke nor Rory were looking. "It's the one you make when you want something I wouldn't want to give you. Like the seven thousandth book you already have in hard covers."

"Or the one your Mom asked you to do when I was out of marshmallows", Luke remembered.

Lorelai tilted her head and smiled. She found it hard to find an answer. She cleared her throat. "Rory, go and see what Luke did to your room", she suggested. "You're gonna love it!"

"You did something to my room?" Rory asked. "Ooh, what is it? Did you make me a trapdoor under my bed to hide stuff?" she went to her room. There came a high yelp. "A book shelve! Luke, you shouldn't have!" she rushed back and hugged Luke, realised what she was doing and pulled off quickly blushing.

"You're welcome", Luke said. "I guess you needed somewhere to put the seven thousand books of yours."

"I'm going to put them there right away!" Rory said excitedly. "Alphabetical order. No, from tallest to smallest. No! By color! I don't know! I can change it in every week! This is awesome. I need to call Lane", she jumped up and down the room, picked up the phone, went to her room and closed the door.

Both Luke and Lorelai laughed.

"She really appreciates that", Lorelai said.

"I can see that", Luke said, closed the toolbox and straightened his back. "So, is this a tradition? I'll give you five hours of my labour every year as your birthday present. That's how I don't need to think what to give you. I suck at buying presents."

Lorelai's smile widened. "Okay. It' a tradition", she said. "And hey. The party's on Saturday at six. You should come."

Luke hesitated. Lorelai hadn't invited him in the first place, so he thought that maybe she didn't want him there. He didn't want it to be a pity invite. Or a thank you invite. Lorelai seemed to notice his hesitance.

"I would really like if you'd come", she said. "There's gonna be balloons and music and beer and Sookie's cooking, so there's good food as well."

Luke nodded. "Okay. I'll be there."


	15. Wizards and Muggles

**A/N:** Hello lovely readers! Thank you so much for your favourites, follows and comments! They make me so happy, keep them coming!

I'd like to introduce to you my new wonderful Beta **Candyship Battleland**! Yay!

I think I need to stop apologizing for the delay, because I don't think that's going to change. I write when I have time and inspiration. Sometimes that happens more often, sometimes nothing works. You know how that is.

Anyway, here's the next chapter! I'm sorry if you're not into Harry Potter, but I wanted to give it one hurrah, as I love it. It's going to be the only chapter dedicated to this passion of mine. I won't, however, promise that there isn't going to be any references to it ever again.

Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** Oh, you know, it's not mine.

 **Wizards and Muggles**

That morning Rory and Lorelai came into the diner dressed in bizarre cloaks. Rory's hair was in crazy curls and Lorelai had her hair pulled tight into a topknot, and had donned eyeglasses and a witch's hat. The worst part was that it wasn't just them. Luke had seen half the town dressed up like that the whole morning, and he was already sick of it.

"So what's this place?" Lorelai asked. "The Leaky Cauldron? The Snitch and the Cup? Duke and Magic Coffee?"  
Taylor had asked him to name the Diner as 'The Leaky Cauldron' for a day, he had a sign and all. Luke had told him to take his sign and stick it where the sun doesn't shine.

"It's 'Speak Normally or Get the Hell Out'."

"Not a fan of Harry Potter?"

"Not a fan of town events."

"Aw, come on," Lorelai said, leaning in towards the counter and giving Luke one of her brightest smiles. "This is a fun event. There is going to be magic and wands, and I heard a rumor there's going to be Quidditch match before sunset."

"And a Sorting Hat!" Rory added excitedly. "I hope I'll be a Gryffindor."

"We'll never know what the hat decides. Maybe you'll be a Slytherin!"

Rory looked extremely offended and Lorelai patted her on the shoulder.

"Thankfully we know which house I belong in," she said.

"Basically we know that I'm Gryffindor as well," Rory said.

"Yes, but since there simply aren't enough eleven-year-olds in the town, we must sort everyone who can speak with complete sentences and are under eighteen."

"Just go and sit down," said Luke, who didn't like the fact that he had no idea what the girls were talking about. Not like it was new, but this seemed to be a long, absurd conversation with no end in sight. The girls took a table, obviously continuing their conversation about something that sounded like mindus two thousand and pet owls. Luke had one of the orders ready, took it to the customer and then went to the girls.

"Unicorn blood and cauldron cake!" Lorelai announced immediately as Luke took out his order pad.

"I'll give you coffee and boysenberry pie," he answered.

"That'll do," Rory said quickly before her mother could argue. While walking back to the kitchen Luke heard Rory hiss at her mother 'unicorn blood?' with a horrified voice. He could at least understand that.

"Well, I couldn't just say pumpkin juice, now could I? There's the risk that Luke really has pumpkin juice, and then he'd make me actually drink it."

#####

When Luke was out of earshot, Lorelai leaned closer to Rory. "Muggle," she mumbled. Rory giggled.

"Maybe we should give him a muggle name," she suggested.

"A muggle name?"

"Yeah. Like... Dougal."

"Dougal?" the suspicion in Lorelai's voice grew.

"Yeah, I like Dougal," Rory said. "Dougal McGregor."

"McGregor," Lorelai repeated. "Is he Scottish then?" she asked with an impressive Scottish accent.

"Might be," Rory shrugged.

"You think we could make him wear a kilt?" Lorelai asked.

"No."

Both Lorelai and Rory turned to look at Luke, who was wiping the counter.

"He does look a bit like Dougal," Lorelai admitted. Then she shot her hand up and waved. "Oi, Dougal!" she called out. It was the voice she always used when she was talking to Luke, so he looked up before realizing she wasn't using his name. Lorelai smiled widely. "Can we have more your magical coffee?"

Luke rolled his eyes and came to give them a refill. Lorelai tilted her head, thinking that he might look more Scottish from another angle.

"Lane's over there!" Rory noticed. They looked as Rory's friend crossed her yard. She had plain clothes on.

"She's not wearing an outfit," Lorelai noticed.

"Her Mom doesn't want her to. She says it's pagan," Rory stood up. "Which is a bit strange, thinking that the Reverend is dressed as Snape," she looked at Lane, who seemed to be a bit outsider among all the people in cloaks and hats. Especially when Kirk, dressed as Dumbledore, walked past her. "I'll go with her."

"No!" Lorelai protested.

"I promised," Rory said. "I'm a muggle-born, I can hang out with a muggle."

"Ten points from Gryffindor!"

"Mom!"

"Don't make it twenty!"

#####

The further the day went, the more bizarre it seemed to get. When school ended the town square was filled with students wearing cloaks. Kirk was in the middle of it all, wearing a long, white beard and a blue cloak with stars sewn on it. The kids had seemingly stolen something from him, and he was running around, stumbling in his long cloak. Luke found himself, once again, staring. There was something hypnotic at watching how the town slowly but surely was sinking into complete madness. Kirk gave up whatever he was trying to get back and headed into the diner.

"Luke!" he whined. "The kids stole my wand!"

Luke returned to the counter and started to wipe it like he had been doing this whole time. He found it best not to take part in any of this. Kirk stumbled again and pulled the fabric up.

"Your clothes are too big," Luke pointed out.

"Mother did this to me," Kirk told him. "She used my brother's measurements. But it's fine. I'm the wisest wizard in the world," he stumbled again.

"Wisest, huh?" Luke said. "Don't you think you could use your wit to get your wand back?"

Kirk's face lit up as much as it was possible, and without another word, he left the diner, fell in his cloak and disappeared under the yelling crowd of students.

#####

Luke hadn't really thought it was possible for the people of Stars Hollow to be any more nuts than they already were. He had been horribly wrong. Because after a very long and very weird night, during which almost every child or teen in the town had sat on a stool one by one with Lorelai pulling pieces of paper out of an old looking hat and announcing which house the kid on the stool belonged, and after a dinner they had at the town square, they actually took their places in a long line in front of the bookstore. With sleeping bags. They were lining up with sleeping bags. Luke closed the diner and walked to Lorelai and Rory, who were third in line, just behind Kirk and a kid with black hair that looked like it hadn't been combed in days, wearing round glasses.

"What are you doing?" he asked from Rory because he was pretty sure that all that cake Lorelai had eaten during the night, not to mention the coffee she had drank, wouldn't give him an answer he was hoping for.

"Holding our place in line," Rory answered. She was opening her sleeping bag as her mother hugged both of their pillows.

"But why?"

"New Harry Potter book is out tomorrow. We want to have one the moment Andrew opens."

"New Harry Potter book?" Luke repeated. "There's more of them?"

"Sure," Rory smiled as she took Lorelai's sleeping back and started to open it. "There's going to be seven. There's seven years in Hogwarts, so I'd guess there's gonna be one for every year," she took one of the pillows from Lorelai and placed it on the sleeping bag, beaming at Luke. "Do you wanna wait with us?"

"Nah, I… I haven't even read the first one," he said.

"Oh, I have it here!" Rory said happily and dug a book out of her back bag. "Do you wanna borrow it?" 

Luke didn't know how to say no, so he took it. "Thanks."

"Come on," Lorelai chirped. "Join the line! It'll be fun! We read the first book during the night out loud. We have roles and all."  
That was something Luke did not want to have any part of.

"No, thanks."

"Oh, come on Dougal," Lorelai grinned. "I'm sure you have done this before. You stayed up all night waiting to buy tickets to Return of the Jedi, didn't you?"

"This is Stars Hollow, there's only a handful of people who have heard about Star Wars," he answered, mostly to avoid telling the truth. He really didn't want to tell that he had, actually, gone all the way to New York to get the tickets. Lorelai seemed to read it from his face anyway.

"You waited on line for more than one night, right?"

"I have to go now."

"What's a Star Wars fan called?"

"What?"

"If Star Trek fans are Trekkies what are Star Wars fans? Wrakkies?"

"Good night."

"Strakkies?"

"Swaggers?" Rory suggested.

Luke walked away as quickly as he could.

#####

Luke had thought that it'd all be over the following morning. At least people weren't dressed up anymore. They were, however, walking around with their heads buried in their books. It seemed that half of the town had been waiting outside the bookstore to get their own copy of the next Harry Potter book. Luke had read a few pages of the book Rory had lent to him. He had never been much of a reader, but the things he did for that girl… Right then he noticed Rory walking towards the diner, very slowly, with the book open and clearly not seeing anything that was happening around her. She almost collided with the boy who had been the second in line to get the book. He, too, was reading. Luke watched as Rory crossed the road, reached for the door to the diner a couple of times before looking up and noticing she was too far away, pushed the door open and came in.

"Morning," Luke said. "Have you been reading the whole morning?"

Rory looked up from the book.

"Yeah. Can't put this down. So much has already happened! Harry was locked in his room by his awful relatives and his best friend Ron and Ron's twin brothers came to save him with a flying car! I can't wait for them to get to Hogwarts," she climbed onto a stool at the counter and smiled at Luke, who tried his best to look like he knew what she was talking about.

"Sounds good," because he said to say something. "Coffee?"

"Yes, please."

The door opened and Lorelai came in. She, too, was reading.

"Did you get to Diagon Alley already?" she asked from her daughter.

"No! I've only just arrived at the Burrow!"

"Ooh, just wait who they meet there!"

"You didn't actually buy two copies of the same book, did you?" Luke asked.

"Well duh," Lorelai said and rolled her eyes. "How else were we gonna read it at the same time?"

"It's not fair that you can read it during the day when I'm at school," Rory complained. "You're gonna ruin it from me, I know it."

"Ah, excellent," Lorelai laughed. "Now I can use my knowledge to blackmail you to do the laundry. Or to clean the bathroom. Or to pick up the food. Oh, the power!"

"Can I have my coffee to go?" Rory asked Luke.

"You'll have to cook for the next month or I'll tell you who the next Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is!"

"We never cook!"

"Good time to start."

Rory took the paper cup Luke had just filled for her. "Bye!"

"And the food's better to be as good as it was at Dad's birthday party!"

The moment Rory was out of the diner she balanced the cup in her left hand and the open book in her right hand and headed to the school. Lorelai opened her book at the counter. Luke, without even asking, filled her cup and wished that this madness would end soon.

#####

 **A/N:** Fun fact to those of you who don't know too much about Harry Potter: When Minerva McGonagall graduated from Hogwarts, she went home to Scotland. She met a handsome young farmer, a muggle, and the two of them quickly fell in love and got engaged. Minerva, however, started to think what it would mean to marry a muggle. Her mother had done so, and because of the International Statue of Secrecy she wasn't allowed to tell her husband that she was a witch. She had put her wand away and given up magic. That had turned her bitter, and Minerva didn't want to end up like that. So she called off the engagement and broke her own heart. The name of that muggle man? You guessed it, Dougal McGregor!


End file.
